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The Conversation USA

Emotion is a big part of how you assess risk – and why it's so hard to be objective about pandemic precautions

  • Written by Sheldon H. Jacobson, Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
imageIt can be hard to see eye to eye when people don't see risk the same way.Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images

People tend to overestimate or underestimate risk. The pandemic brings this into stark relief. Picture someone wearing an N95 mask while walking their dog through a deserted park. Contrast that with someone entering a crowded bar maskless in an...

Read more: Emotion is a big part of how you assess risk – and why it's so hard to be objective about pandemic...

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