TED Talks Daily What you're missing by focusing on the average | Sharon Zicherman
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Mar 12, 2025 
Sharon Zicherman, a management consultant and cancer survivor, discusses the pitfalls of relying on averages when making critical decisions. He shares his personal experience with colorectal cancer to illustrate how averages can be misleading in assessing health outcomes. Zicherman advocates for a deeper understanding of risks by considering individual circumstances instead. By challenging conventional statistics, he encourages listeners to adopt a nuanced perspective for better decision-making in life-changing scenarios.
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Cancer Diagnosis
- Sharon Zickerman was diagnosed with stage 3C colorectal cancer at 39, facing a 50% five-year survival rate.
- He questioned this statistic, realizing it included various demographics unlike himself.
Questioning Averages
- Averages can be misleading, especially in life-altering situations.
- Consider individual factors rather than relying solely on broad statistics.
Burj Khalifa Example
- The Burj Khalifa, despite Dubai's low average earthquake magnitude, was built to withstand a 7.0 earthquake.
- This demonstrates the importance of considering worst-case scenarios, not just averages, in risk management.
