About this item

How scientific reasoning explains our most common daily fears -- from germs to natural disasters and everything in between.How scientific reasoning explains our most common daily fears -- from germs to natural disasters and everything in between.Quick--what do you worry about most? Your cell phone giving you cancer? The public bathroom you're using being dirty? GMOs in your food? An asteroid strike? Something else?In this witty and evidenced-based book, Lise Johnson and Eric Chudler get to the root of our worries, all the while using science to help tame the anxiety beast. News media, social media, and every mom blog in the world are continuously flagging new things for you to worry about. From obsessing over Lyme disease-infested ticks to worrying about amusement park safety, no-one is immune to the pervasive effects of anxiety brought on by normal, everyday activity. Each topic in this wide-ranging book is subjected to scientific scrutiny, and assigned a place on the "worry index," with the authors concluding the only things worth worrying about are those those that can cause significant harm, are likely to happen, and are (somewhat) preventable.Whether you are a constant worrier or a stick-your-head-in-the-sand-and-hope-for-the best sort of person, you'll find something to love in this witty and informative book. 20 black and white illustrations 20 black and white illustrations



About the Author

Lise A. Johnson

Lise Johnson grew up in Evergreen, Colorado. As a child, she always imagined she would grow up to be a writer. But, she could never think of anything interesting to write about. So, she went on to get an undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arizona. She found the science could be just as interesting and compelling as literature. After completing her postdoctoral research in Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington, Johnson worked as the university education manager at an engineering research center funded by the National Science Foundation. As part of her job she spent a lot of time explaining neural engineering to people without engineering degrees. In the process she dusted off her writing skills and was pleased to discover that she was actually a science writer. Now she is back in Colorado where she teaches at a small medical school and moonlights as a science advocate and writer.



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