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The science of fear

NOVA Presents

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Jaws, Jaw Dropping Horror, Movie Making

A good example would probably be Jaws. The 1975 thriller about a human devouring shark that terrorizes an unsuspecting beach community directed by Steven Spielberg. You can see a sharp drop in beach tourism in North America just after the release of Jaws. It terrified people that made them afraid of going to the beach. And why? I mean, what are the odds of being killed by a shark? More than 100 people in the US died from injuries caused by cattle between 2003 and 2007. But compare this number to the only five fatal shark attacks that took place in this country during the same period of time. Yet, we are so scared of sharks.

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