Worried?: Science investigates some of life's common concerns

by Eric Chudler, Lise A. Johnson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393712896
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	02/26/2019
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Eric H. Chudler, PhD, is the executive director of the Center for Neurotechnology and a neuroscientist at the University of Washington. He hosts the popular Web site Neuroscience for Kids and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Lise Johnson, PhD, is a biomedical engineer, educator, and writer from Centennial, Colorado. She is currently the director of Basic Science Curriculum and Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies at Rocky Vista University, and is co-author, with Eric Chudler, of Brain Bytes: Quick Answers to Quirky Questions about the Brain.

Editorial Reviews

12/10/2018

Biomedical engineer Johnson and neuroscientist Chudler, who previously cowrote Brain Bytes: Quick Answers to Quirky Questions About the Brain, team up again for a cleverly conceived and well-executed examination of a host of common sources of worry: foods, medicines, the environment, chemicals, animals, and travel. For each topic, they evaluate the danger’s preventability, consequences, and likelihood, combining the results on an easy-to-read grid divided into four categories: “don’t worry; unlikely and preventable,” “don’t worry; unpreventable but unlikely,” a fatalistic “don’t worry; likely but unpreventable,” and an unequivocal “worry about this.” The medical worries range from the common—the health risks of using acetaminophen and oral contraception—to the rare—brain-eating amoeba and Ebola. Similarly, the animals evaluated include both everyday pets such as dogs and exotic predators such as sharks. The authors’ selections also include, for food, caffeine, gluten, and salt; for environment, mobile phones and microwave ovens; and for travel, airport scanners and cruise ships. Their analyses are short but thorough, scientifically grounded with appropriate citations, and candid about when the science is still uncertain. Those already convinced that—to name three topics—fluoride, DEET, and GMOs are highly dangerous may balk at the contrary conclusions, but the open-minded will find a resource that is both useful and enjoyable. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"In an artfully crafted exposé, Worried? considers a collection of vignettes of the modern world likely to have roused implicit concern. Anyone who has re-considered ordinarily accepted elements of our existence will find this guide a beacon. The authors ability to weave science and statistics together with clarity cleverly reveal those anxieties which should bubble to the level of our awareness and those which we should not lose sleep over."

Kurt Weaver

"Lise Johnson and Eric Chudler have had a brilliant idea and turned it into an equally good book...For anyone who worries too much, which is to say all of us, this is a deeply comforting book."

Irish Daily Mail

"In Worried?, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Chudler have created an absolutely delightful guidebook to help all of us, from the casually anxious stray-thought worriers to the deeply obsessed safety-checklist warriors, deal with the stressors of the modern world.  Rigorously researched, appropriately fact-checked, and uproariously witty, this little tome is a must have quick reference for that age old nagging question, ‘How bad is that, really?'"

Devapratim Sarma

"Don’t worry. Or, rather, worry sometimes, but only a certain amount, and only if you can do something to control the situation. From airplane crashes to sugar, Worried? walks us through common fears of the contemporary world, providing simple answers to the often challenging question ‘Should I be worried?’ Anchored by science and simplified with diagrams, Worried? is an elegant and fun guide to navigate our era of information overload."

Nathan Insel

"With new technologies and fads arriving daily, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Chudler use the principles of scientific research to investigate common worries ranging from asbestos to microwaves to gluten. As a pediatrician, I not infrequently encounter parents with these fears. I appreciate the humor and scientific rigor with which they sort through the cacophony of available information to advise us which anxieties are worth our attention—and which are not."

Carrie Nedrud

"Few of us are able to make sense of the scientific literature for ourselves, but Chudler and Johnson have done the spade work for us, assembling the most reliable findings about the things that worry us all. They apply scientific reasoning to everyday situations in a fun and accessible way. The authors’ wry tone and winsome humor brought a smile to my face even as I read about things that might kill me some day."

Adam Baker