Calculating Odds

Posted on 19. Jan, 2012 by Emily in General

Calculating Odds – Most of us are afraid of imminent disaster, but few of us have spent time calculating the odds. How many times have you gotten on a plane and been scared witless? Or worried about getting attacked by a shark when you were swimming? We all have our fears, whether they’re rational or not. If you take a look at some of the statistics, you’ll be surprised how unlikely it is that something (other than divorce) will affect your life.

Calculating Odds

Calculating Odds

Let’s put some time and effort into calculating the odds of some of the most common fears people experience. You know– the odds of you getting struck by lightening, being in a plane crash, or even finding a four-leaf clover.

Odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime + 1/6250 - Now, I found most of these odds from the MSN Slider on Calculating Odds. I thought that 6,250 seemed kind of odd and so I looked into it further… it is not that likely you’ll be struck by lightening. The odds are more like 1/280,0000.

A Person’s Chance of Getting Attacked By a Shark is 1 in 11.5 Million – You might be a surfer wary of suspicious fins, but the truth of the matter is that it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to be attacked by a shark the next time that you’re in the ocean.

Odds of Being Killed by a Meteorite i+ About 1 in 700,000 – Things fall to Earth. A lot. There’s a chance you’re going to get hit, but it’s pretty small– plus there is an even smaller chance you’re g

The odds an airplane passenger will be involved in a plane crash in a year are 1 in 10,790,000 – Most people I know are afraid of flying, but the truth of the matter is that the odds of them being in a plane crash are slim.

Odds of drawing a royal flush are 1 in 649,740 - I was surprised to learn this statistic! I’ve looked in a couple different sources and they all say the same thing– if you’ve drawn a royal flush, you’re experiencing something super rare.

The odds a Mega Millions entry will win the jackpot are 1 in 175,700,000 – What a bummer. It’s more likely you’ll be in a plane crash, get attacked by a shark or get hit by a meteorite than win the lottery.

+1 in 84 odds of dying in a car accident – This is probably the scariest statistic. Buckle up!

Odds of Finding a Four-Leaf clover are 1/10,000 – Next time you find one, maybe it is worth keeping. Then again there are billions of clovers, so maybe it’s not as cool as the statistic makes it sound.

Odds that an oyster will hold a pearl are 1 in 12,000 – I’ve never seen a pearl in an oyster, and I’ve eaten a lot of them. Maybe I’ve got another 11,000 more before I find one.

200 to 1 + odds of having your identity stolen – Another scary statistic. Learn how to protect yourself from getting your identity stolen.

+1-in-60,000 + odds of being killed by a tornado – About 60 people die a year from tornadoes. Last year was a particularly bad tornado season with about 1,897 total.

Conclusion — The odds are almost in your favor. Unless you’re a smoker, drunk driver or getting married. But as far as the REALLY scary stuff goes (well– cancer and heartbreak are also really scary), you’re probably going to be alright. I think for the most part people get worked up about nothing. I guess for me, getting into a car is a million times more frightening than getting on a plane.

Calculating Odds

If you have a phobia that is getting out of control, consider taking action. There are many methods of curbing your fears and putting them into perspective, like the Emotional Freedom Technique. Just remember to take some time to calculate the odds before letting your fear take over your life. Calculating Odds.

Tags: chances of something happening, odds, statistics