I hate losses. Two months ago, I went crazy when I looked for the wallet I'd lost. Checking every pocket, I got increasingly anxious. The money, the credit cards, the driver's license, and the social security card in my wallet kept flashing through my mind. Whoever found the wallet could steal my identity, run up huge expenses, and put me in financial danger!
My heart was pounding. I felt so flustered that I didn't go to work, not knowing what to do. Subsequently, I called the credit card companies and canceled my cards. Then I realized that I drove without a license, so I took time off to go to the registry to get a new one.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I had a pain in my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack. After a couple of hours of tests at the hospital, I was told that it was just an anxiety attack. Losing my wallet was no big deal; I just had to cancel the cards, get a new license, and buy a new wallet. I lost a few bills, but so what? However, I was deeply troubled by it.
Frankly, we all hate losses. Daniel Kahneman, an Israeli psychologist, found that people are generally more afraid of losing things than they're eager to gain. This phenomenon is called loss aversion(厌恶). In a typical study, when people were asked if they would rather get $500 for sure or a lottery ticket(彩票) with a 50-50 chance of winning $1000, they generally chose the former. But when they were asked if they would rather lose $500 for sure or get a lottery ticket that offers 50 percent chance of losing$1000, most people chose to take the risk. In both cases, the chances are the same but people's choices are different.
In fact, the emotions associated with loss formed a long time ago. Loss was always frightening and damaging for people then, and it's still with us. Indeed, that's why I blew the simple loss of a wallet out of proportion.
