There’s a really strange idea people have about risk: That if you explain the process to someone thoroughly enough, somehow the consequences become less severe. They don’t. Explaining something doesn't alter the underlying mechanism. If you explain exactly how a disease is transmitted, the disease doesn't become less contagious. If you explain the risks of a dangerous activity, the activity doesn't become less dangerous. If you explain how a bad financial decision could hurt someone, the financial consequences don't become less real. Understanding can change someone's decision to participate. It can allow them to give informed consent. It can allow them to take precautions and potentially reduce the risk. But the explanation itself doesn't neutralize the consequences. This is a mistake people make constantly: they confuse understanding something with changing the reality of something. Knowing how the fire works doesn't make the fire less hot. Understanding the mechanism do...