Fear, Sex and Pandemic - Part Two | Global Health

Fear, Sex and Pandemic - Part Two

Published July 05, 2009 @ 09:46AM PT

We don't have a multi-dimensional reaction when we encounter danger or a bombshell. Our reaction to both danger and sex isn't very advanced. It's like the on/off volume dial on a cheap portable radio--we sense a threat or sex-and you can almost hear the click as the dial turns to on. If we sense the danger/sexual anything is minor, like a bee-or a potential wardrobe malfunction, the dial cranks a little and our typical reaction is to divert a bit of attention away from what we are doing. The closer to home a situation hits, the higher the dial is cranked, until we can notice nothing else, our hearts are beating, our breathing coarse. Sex or danger, we won't be sleeping well until it is resolved.

These innate reactions are used to manipulate us. That is inevitable in a market economy, since it is the most effective way to get people to do what you want them to. Advertisers link their products to our longings for social status and happiness, companies do everything possible to help us focus on the low initial price knowing that we won't take the huge later cost seriously-heck, we may be dead by then. News companies tell us to turn into 11 to see why we are all going to die. They do this because enough of us do so even when we know better.

Which, of course, brings us to naked flight attendants. Safety educators try to use human nature to get the behaviors they want as well. Air New Zealand finally figured out a way to get people to look during the preflight safety messages-having the message done by flight attendants in nothing but body paint: http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/172644.asp.

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