Ask someone whether more people die each year from shark attacks or from falling coconuts. Almost everyone answers shark attacks. The actual answer is coconuts. Falling coconuts kill roughly 150 people per year worldwide, while shark attacks kill fewer than ten. The disparity in perceived risk has nothing to do with the actual statistics and everything to do with how vividly and frequently each cause of death appears in media, conversation, and cultural narrative. Shark attacks generate dramatic headlines, terrifying film franchises, and urgent news coverage. Coconut fatalities do not. As a result, shark attacks dominate mental availability and perceived...