Normalcy Bias: The Biggest Threat to your Survival
Whenever a natural disaster hits the survivors can usually be divided into two groups: Those who prepared ahead of time, and those that didn’t. The people who don’t prepare usually operate under the mindset that everything is going to be fine, and nothing bad is really going to happen. They underestimate the effect of natural disasters no matter how many warnings are flashed before their eyes. This denial of the possible danger during a disaster is known as Normalcy Bias.
“I Had No Idea This Could Happen”
The fact that 41% of people polled admit not being ready for a disaster is the first red flag of the dangers of Normalcy Bias. These people know that disasters, especially natural disasters, are imminent. They can happen at any time, and yet they aren’t prepared.
Why?
In many cases, these people don’t actually believe something is going to happen. No matter how many times you tell someone living along the Atlantic coast that hurricanes will happen, they will still deny that they will be impacted. What’s more is that many of these people become the ones who think they can ride out a hurricane. They’re the ones that ignore evacuation warnings because “it’s not going to be that bad” so they stay in their homes during floods, and when the waters pass their ceilings they’re on their roofs with signs asking for a rescue.
People suffering from cases of Normalcy Bias are the ones who look around in the middle of a disaster and claim that they had no idea something could happen, no matter how much evidence was there beforehand.
Sadly, while these people are lamenting their situation, they’re not making any progress fixing their situations. While they sit around in disbelief that things have fallen apart, they’re also looking to see who is going to help them.
If someone does something or goes somewhere like a lamb to the slaughter, they do it without knowing that something bad is going to happen and therefore act calmly and without fighting against the situation.
Are you a sheep or are you awake?