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What Are People Living In The US Most Afraid Of?

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Monday, February 13, 2017 - 3:20pm
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Every one of us has a list of fears that could potentially keep us up at night — or worse — if we’re confronted with them.

Some, like fear of death, are pretty common and understandable. I’m afraid of clowns. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because so many of them are able to fit into that tiny car.

For the past three years, Associate Professor Ed Day of Chapman University has run the Survey of American Fears.

The most recent results show that people who live in the U.S. are most afraid of corrupt government officials, terrorist attacks and not having enough money for the future. Day is with me to talk about the survey.

How our minds deal with fear and how we allow it to affect us can be more difficult to characterize.

Jeff Greenberg is a psychology professor at University of Arizona. He specializes in the “Finding Meaning in Life” component of the university’s Healthy Lives lab.

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