Few health risks conjure deeply held fears as effectively as cancer. Most of us have someone close to us who has been taken by the disease, but risk communications expert David Ropeik wants us to reconsider the scope of our fears.
Drawing on decades of research and his new book, Curing Cancerphobia, David unpacks why cancer—now a treatable or chronic condition in many cases—still looms larger in our psyches than heart disease, which actually claims more lives each year.
He explains how fear drives unnecessary screenings, unproven preventions, and even aggressive treatments for cancers that might never have done harm, and reveals the psychological roots of that fear—from the sense of lost control to the visceral dread of pain and suffering.
Throughout the conversation, David draws on key insights from the psychology of risk perception:
Control vs. Imposed Risk: We fear risks we can’t control (cancer) more than those we feel responsible for (heart disease).
Fear First, Think Second: Our brain’s instinctive “uh-oh” response precedes rational thought, making early judgments emotionally charged and often distorted.
Right-Sizing Fear: By pausing to let rational thinking catch up—acknowledging the “risk perception gap”—we can make healthier, more balanced choices.
They also discuss the role of politically influenced screening guidelines (e.g., the USPSTF recommendations), the impact of environmental advocacy on public perception, and practical steps we can take—like reconsidering the latest Surgeon General’s warning on alcohol—to regain a sense of agency over our health.
Resources Mentioned
Curing Cancerphobia: How Risk, Fear, and Worry Mislead Us by David Ropeik (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023)
United States Preventive Services Task Force (screening guidelines)
Ropeik & Associates (consulting practice)
On Risk (David Ropeik’s blog)
Psychology Today Profile (bio and articles)
About David Ropeik
David P. Ropeik is a retired Harvard instructor, international consultant, author, and speaker specializing in risk perception and risk communication. He created and directs the “Improving Media Coverage of Risk” training program for journalists and regularly contributes to Big Think, Psychology Today, Cognoscenti, Medium, and HuffPost . His books include:
Curing Cancerphobia: How Risk, Fear, and Worry Mislead Us (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023)
How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don’t Always Match the Facts (McGraw Hill, 2012)
RISK: A Practical Guide for Deciding What’s Really Safe and What’s Dangerous in the World Around You (Houghton Mifflin, 2002)
Before academia, he spent 22 years as an award‐winning TV reporter at WCVB‐TV in Boston, earning two Alfred I. duPont‐Columbia Awards and seven regional Emmys. David has taught risk communication at Harvard’s School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School, MIT’s Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, Boston University, and elsewhere.
