How can you avoid feeling overwhelmed by frightening Covid statistics? @TimHarford has some advice. thetimes.co.uk/article/tim-ha…
Step One: Keep Calm🧘‍♀️

”I believe we should all notice our emotional reactions to the statistical claims that swirl around us,” says @TimHarford. ”Social media thrives on fear, anger and smug vindication.”
“There’s nothing wrong with feeling emotions,” he adds, “but we are not at our wisest when rushing to rage-tweet about a claim we did not actually check. So take a moment to notice your instinctive reaction to that astounding piece of data. Then look again.” 👀
Step Two: Get Context 🔎

“Statistics are often presented without any context at all: in a political speech, in a headline, or in a meme,” says @TimHarford. “Context-free claims should be a red flag, showing that all is not well.”
“The most context-free of all statistical claims is the claim that uses no statistics at all – for example, the dramatic photographs of groaning shopping trolleys before the first lockdown, alongside reports of panic buying.”
“The statistics could have brought much-needed context. Kantar, a consultancy, found that in mid-March 2020, only 3% of shoppers had 'bought extraordinary quantities' of pasta.” 🛒
Step 3: Be Curious 🤔

“Most of us tend to be dismissive of new information that challenges our preconceptions, but curious people tend to be more open-minded, finding the new facts intriguing rather than threatening.”
Read the rest of @TimHarford's advice 👇 thetimes.co.uk/article/tim-ha…

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More from @thetimes

1 May
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Exclusive | The linking of Covid-19 vaccines with infertility was almost inevitable

Conspiracy theory claims of female sterilisation and “population control” have long dogged vaccination drives through history

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April 2020 📅

A YouTuber going by the name of Zed Phoenix starts publishing videos on his channel claiming that Bill and Melinda Gates had taken over the UK’s vaccine programme, with Chris Whitty having personally received £31 million from the foundation
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The record shows that Biden’s had a busy start.
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