Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Safety Intuition
The Nonconscious Guide to Safety
CHAPTER
5.1 WHY SAFETY ALWAYS NEEDS EFFORT: UNBALANCES IN THE
FEEDBACK SYSTEM OF SAFETY BEHAVIOR
5.1.1 Unbalance 1: Different Timing of Costs and Rewards
5.1.2 Unbalance 2: Differences in Visibility
5.2 GUT FEELING, THE NONCONSCIOUS GUIDE
5.3 THE ROLE OF SMELL IN THE DANGER SYSTEM
5.4 AMBIVALENCE TOWARD SAFETY COSTS AND THE
AVOIDANCE OF UNSAFE SITUATIONS
5.5 THE PERCEPTION OF REASONABLE COSTS
5.6 UNREALISTIC OPTIMISM: DENYING THE RISK PROBABILITY
5.7 INTUITION: TRACES OF THE NONCONSCIOUS IN THE
CONSCIOUS
5.8 WHERE IN THE BRAIN?
5.9 SUMMARY
TIPS TO TRANSFER
In this chapter, we will discuss the nonconscious system that takes care of
the major part of our safety behavior without us even knowing it. At first
thought, it seems strange to imagine that the majority of our behavior
stems from the nonconscious system. We see ourselves as rational, logi-
cal, and conscious beings, and compared to other animals, we indeed
have more of these attributes. But after a closer look, we need to admit
that we act mostly unconsciously. Just imagine the last time you had din-
ner with friends. When there is an interesting conversation, we taste the
first bites of each new plate consciously and maybe make some compli-
ments about the quality of the food to the cook. After that, the conversa-
tion uses all of our consciousness and we eat fully unconsciously until the
plate is empty. The same happens while we are driving a car. How often
are we driving on the highway and suddenly realize that we have already
reached our destination? Taking into account that driving is a high-risk
