Innate human optimism - a neurological error

You can love stories about the end of the world, but deep down, still no one really does not believe that the apocalypse is possible. It's not even in the arguments of common sense, and the whims of the human brain that prevent people expect from the future of the worst, even if there is compelling evidence that the worst is about to happen.

In order to understand how people predict adverse events, researchers from Germany and the UK was made rather complex test. First, a survey was conducted on 80 different probability of adverse events, such as the attack on a person or a fatal infection of the disease. Once all the responses have been recorded, the participants reported how often things like this happen, according to statistics. In some cases, people underestimated the probability of the event, and some of its overestimated.

After some time, researchers have again asked the same questions to the same people. It was found that people were much more difficult to predict the probability of occurrence of the event in relation to itself, if the statistical probability was higher than forecast, which they did the first time. Contrary to the statistics, people once again underestimated the likelihood of adverse incidents, as if specially forgetting the bad odds - but not the good.

During the interview, the researchers exposed people functional magnetic resonance imaging and were able to observe which brain areas activated when people remembered (or remembered) how high the likelihood that they will face one way or another disaster. When the manifestation of optimism despite the statistics, there was a decrease in blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain that have been identified as sensitive to the negative evaluation of the error.

Thus, the human innate optimism - a neurological error prevents people aware of the chances of dying or seriously ill. Therefore, no one seriously believes that the apocalypse ever happens.

However, there is one exception to the general rule - there are people who are constantly giving answers that coincide with the statistical data. They are in clinical depression.

via factroom.ru