Another reason why we do not give to prevent disasters should be familiar to anyone who has ever delayed going to the dentist because the prospect of serious pain in the coming weeks or months just wasn’t as motivating as the reluctance to face some more immediate slight discomfort. We tell ourselves that maybe we won’t get a toothache after all, even though we know that the odds are that we will.
如果你曾有过甘冒今后几周或几个月可能剧烈牙痛的危险也不愿立即承受轻微的不适而推迟去看牙医的经历，你或许能够理解人们为什么不愿为防灾工作进行捐助。我们告诉自己也许最终不会牙痛，即使我们明明知道牙痛的几率很大。