Jason Zweig, author of Your Money and Your Brain (2007),

poses the question, which animal is responsible for the greatest number of deaths in the United States annually?
The options given are alligator, bear, deer, shark, or snake. But how is the
question related to money? Just as inflation should be the larger worry for anyone
investing for retirement or other long-term future goals, investors tend to focus on
the “attack” of a significant stock market drop as the more dangerous of the two.
Similarly, most people are influenced by the biases of recent or vivid events when
responding to Zweig’s question. Most don’t recognize that the deer, typically not
associated with fear or fierce attacks, is responsible for 130 times more deaths than
the other four animals combined. To learn more about behavioral finance and neuroeconomics,
conduct an Internet search or visit your local library.