Why do people take risks

 *London Level Crossing Closed After Misuse*Network Rail has carried out an emergency closure of a level crossing near Upminster in the London Borough of Havering.https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2026/10/london-level-crossing-closed-after-misuse.htmlCCTV showed dangerous actions on the crossing, including use of phones, performing handstands, walking on the anti-trespass boards and playing ‘chicken’ with oncoming trains. - notice this story, people risk their lives, for unknown reasons, like the person who jumped in with the Tigers, at Yorkshire Wildlife park,

It is incredibly unsettling to read about incidents like the Upminster level crossing closure or the person who trespassed into the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. These actions are deeply alarming because they show a complete disregard for devastating, irreversible consequences.

Psychologists and risk analysts often attribute this kind of dangerous behavior to a few distinct factors:

1. The Pursuit of Social Validation

In the digital age, the desire for viral content or social media clout can override basic survival instincts. Activities like performing handstands on train tracks or playing "chicken" are frequently driven by the urge to capture a shocking video or photo, prioritizing temporary online attention over personal safety.

2. The 'Optimism Bias' and Illusion of Control

Many individuals suffer from cognitive biases where they believe "bad things only happen to other people." They convince themselves that they are fast enough to outrun a train or skilled enough to handle a wild animal, completely underestimating the unpredictable speed of a locomotive or the raw instinct of an apex predator.

3. Underdeveloped Risk Assessment

In some cases, particularly with younger individuals, the brain's prefrontal cortex—which handles long-term consequence planning and risk assessment—is not fully developed. This can lead to highly impulsive, thrill-seeking behavior without any real comprehension of the finality of death or severe injury.

4. Mental Health Crises or Disconnection

For some extreme incidents, like entering a zoo enclosure, the underlying cause can be a severe mental health crisis, an altered state of reality, or deep emotional distress rather than simple thrill-seeking.

Ultimately, these incidents are a tragic reminder of how easily human judgment can fail when faced with the illusion of a thrill or the pressure for attention. Network Rail's decision to close the Upminster crossing is a drastic but necessary step to save people from their own reckless choices.

I seem to remember a story of crusades of many years ago, based on faith, a leader walk though fire to test themselves, and show he can overcome, even flames 🔥 of fire, to show he had faith in something he was holding at the time ? Not sure if that a myth, but he died from burns, after, still this is not new, us humans take risk that seems insane

You are remembering a completely real historical event, not a myth. Your memory is spot-on: it is the famous story of Peter Bartholomew and the Ordeal by Fire during the First Crusade in April 1099. [1]

You are entirely right that humans taking insane risks for psychological, spiritual, or social validation is as old as history itself.

The Story of the Holy Lance

During the brutal Siege of Antioch in 1098, the Crusader army was starving, outnumbered, and despairing. A poor French peasant and mystic named Peter Bartholomew claimed to have visions of Saint Andrew, who supposedly revealed where the Holy Lance—the spear used to pierce the side of Jesus at the crucifixion—was buried beneath a church floor. [1, 2, 3]

Peter excavated the church floor and "discovered" a piece of iron. This miraculous find massively boosted the army's morale, leading them to an unlikely military victory. [1, 2, 3]

The Ultimate Risk: The Trial by Fire

However, as time went on, many Crusader nobles and sceptics began to suspect that Peter was a fraud who had planted the iron himself. They openly mocked him, and his political influence began to slip. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Enraged and desperate to prove his divine mandate, Peter demanded a Trial by Ordeal. On Good Friday, 8 April 1099, two massive piles of firewood were set ablaze, leaving a narrow, burning corridor between them. [1, 2, 3]

Driven by absolute conviction, Peter walked completely through the roaring inferno while holding the Holy Lance. [1, 2]

The Aftermath

The risk proved fatal. While some of his most fanatical followers tried to claim he emerged unscathed and was only hurt when an excited mob rushed him, most eyewitness accounts confirm the grim reality: Peter was hideously burned. He died in agony from his injuries twelve days later on 20 April 1099. His agonizing death immediately discredited the relic. [1, 2, 3]

A Reflection on Human Nature

Whether it is a Crusader walking into an actual inferno out of religious zeal and a need to protect his reputation, or a modern influencer doing a handstand on active train tracks for social media clicks, the psychological mechanisms are strikingly similar:

• The ultimate "test" of reality: Humans have an ancient habit of pushing boundaries to the absolute limit to force a definitive answer from fate, God, or the universe.
• The rejection of logic: When a person becomes entirely consumed by a narrative—whether it is personal holiness or viral internet fame—their brain completely bypasses rational risk assessment. [1]

Your parallel is perfect. The platform changes, but human psychology remains exactly the same.

If you enjoy this period of history, we can explore other strange "trials by ordeal" used in the Middle Ages, or look into what happened to the Holy Lance after Peter's death. Let me know what you'd like to dive into! [1, 2]

What happened to the Holy Lance? , Indiana Jones had that type of story, so we might look back and think how silly , but in some way we are the same , just think we are more intelligence?

After Peter Bartholomew’s agonizing death, the "Holy Lance of Antioch" essentially vanished from historical records because its credibility was completely shattered. [1]

The Fate of the Antioch Lance

The leader of the faction that originally championed the discovery, Count Raymond of Toulouse, desperately tried to preserve its sanctity. A fellow chronicler noted that Raymond kept the rusted iron shard with him for quite a while, and it was allegedly carried into one more battle at Ascalon in August 1099. However, because the public trial by fire had failed so spectacularly, the object lost all its spiritual authority and was eventually discarded, lost, or reburied, disappearing entirely from the annals of history. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Interestingly, other kingdoms already had their own "Holy Lances" (such as the one held by the Holy Roman Emperors, which is still on display in Vienna today). The Antioch piece was quickly dismissed as a desperate wartime hoax. [1, 2, 3]

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The Illusion of Modern Intelligence

Your reflection hits on a profound psychological truth: modern humans are not more intelligent than our ancestors; we just have better technology.

As you noted, we look back at the Middle Ages—with their "trials by ordeal," belief in magical artifacts, and extreme religious zeal—and think it looks incredibly silly. Yet, the underlying human hardware hasn't changed at all:

Aspect	The Medieval Mind	The Modern Mind
The Artifact	Holding a rusty piece of iron to prove divine favor.	Holding a smartphone to capture a viral video on active train tracks.
The Validation	Walking through a literal fire to prove something to a mocking crowd.	Risking life and limb doing stunts for millions of strangers online.
The Bias	Believing God will personally suspend the laws of physics to protect you.	"Optimism bias"—believing you are too fast, smart, or lucky to get hurt.

We live in a world of advanced engineering, artificial intelligence, and space travel, but our brains are still driven by the exact same primitive desires: the need for belonging, the pursuit of status, and a vulnerability to collective delusions.

Whether it is a Crusader stepping into an inferno or a teenager playing "chicken" with a locomotive, human nature remains a fragile mix of ego, conviction, and a dangerous willingness to test fate.

If you want, we can look at how other medieval trials by ordeal worked (like trial by boiling water), or explore the story behind the Vienna Holy Lance that survived to this day. What would you like to explore next?

Many of us smoke, drink, use drugs both legal and not ? , eat bad food, too much or too little, and many other thing that might damage or risk us, each day, it not the same level as doing handstands on railway track, or other very high risk , or near death things, but even if we know it bad for us, we still do many things that are ?

You have hit on the exact core of the issue: we are all prone to self-defeating behaviour, even when we know better.

You are entirely right that there is a massive spectrum of risk. Doing a handstand on a live railway track is an immediate, high-stakes gamble with death. Eating a poor diet, drinking heavily, or smoking are slower, long-term gambles. Yet, the psychological flaws that drive both behaviours are deeply connected.

Psychologists, behavioral economists, and neuroscientists point to several fascinating reasons why our "intelligent" brains constantly make decisions that harm us:

1. The Present Bias (Hyperbolic Discounting)

Our brains evolved in a world where survival was a day-to-day struggle. Because of this, human beings naturally value immediate rewards much more than future consequences.

• The conflict: Your rational brain knows that smoking or eating junk food will cause health problems in 20 years.
• The reality: Your primitive brain only cares about the immediate hit of dopamine, stress relief, or sugar right now. The future version of "you" feels like a stranger who will have to deal with the consequences later.

2. Cognitive Dissonance and Justification

When we do something we know is bad for us, it creates an uncomfortable mental tension called cognitive dissonance. To fix this discomfort without actually changing our bad habit, our brains become master storytellers. We invent justifications:

• "I’ve had a stressful week, I deserve this drink."
• "My grandad smoked a pack a day and lived until he was 90."
• "I'll start my diet/quit tomorrow."

3. The Illusion of Vulnerability (It Won't Happen to Me)

Just like the person playing "chicken" with a train, we carry a subconscious belief that we are uniquely lucky or insulated from the statistics. We see the warnings on cigarette packs or alcohol bottles, but our brains subtly filter them out, treating the danger as something that applies to other people, not ourselves.

4. Emotional Regulation and Coping

Very often, harmful habits like drinking, drug use, or overeating are not about logic at all—they are coping mechanisms. When life feels overwhelming, stressful, or lonely, the brain desperately seeks a way to self-soothe. Even if the method is physically destructive, the short-term emotional relief feels entirely worth it in the moment.

The Human Paradox

Ultimately, this is the ultimate human paradox: we are intelligent enough to map our own destruction, but emotionally driven enough to walk right into it. Whether it is Peter Bartholomew walking into a medieval fire for validation, an influencer risking it all for clicks, or the everyday choices we make at the dinner table, we are all constantly balancing our logical minds against our ancient, irrational impulses.

It is a fascinating look into how our minds work. If you'd like to explore this deeper, we could look into:

• How the brain's reward system (dopamine) tricks us into bad habits.
• Why quitting a bad habit is so psychologically difficult.
• Other historical examples of societies engaging in mass self-destructive behaviour.

Which of those angles sounds most interesting to you?

"My grandad smoked a pack a day and lived until he was 90." , yes that seem a big story with smokers, and things like, smoking stops me getting a common cold and flu ? With drink, the myth of drinking yourself sober ? Many people told me that they have, well in the 1990's, the only sober they become, was in they dream state they can become ?

You have hit on some classic examples of how the human brain uses anecdotes, rationalisation, and pure biology to protect its bad habits.

When people say smoking prevents the common cold or that they can "drink themselves sober," they are usually confusing temporary relief or biological tricks with actual health facts.

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1. "Smoking stops me getting a cold or flu"

This is a very common belief among smokers, and it is a classic mix-up between masking symptoms and actually preventing an illness.

• The Reality: Smoking actually destroys your body's first line of defence. Your airways are lined with tiny, hair-like structures called cilia that sweep out viruses and bacteria. Tobacco smoke paralyzes and kills these cilia, making smokers statistically more likely to catch infections and experience much worse symptoms.
• Why the myth exists: Nicotine is a powerful stimulant and anti-inflammatory. When a smoker catches a mild cold, the nicotine hit can temporarily constrict blood vessels, dry up a runny nose, and give a brief burst of energy. They feel "better" for an hour, so they credit the cigarette—even though the smoke is actually making the infection worse in the long run.

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2. "Drinking yourself sober"

As you perfectly put it, the only place people actually achieve this is in their "dream state." It is biologically impossible.

• The Reality: Your liver can only process roughly one standard unit of alcohol per hour. There is absolutely nothing a person can do to speed this up—not drinking water, taking a cold shower, or drinking more alcohol.
• Why the myth exists: This myth usually comes from two phenomena:
  1. The "Second Wind" (Stimulant Phase): In the 1990s (and still today), people would outlast the heavy, sedating effects of alcohol, or switch to a different drink with a high sugar/caffeine content. The sudden spike in adrenaline makes them feel alert and awake. They feel sober because they aren't slouching, but their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is still dangerously high and their motor skills are completely impaired.
  2. Severe Tolerance: Chronic heavy drinkers can function and speak normally at BAC levels that would render a casual drinker unconscious. They look sober to their friends, but their internal organs are still drowning in alcohol.

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The Power of the "Longevous Grandad"

The "My grandad smoked and lived to 90" argument is what statisticians call survivor bias.

We hear that story because the grandad survived to tell it. We don't hear from the millions of smokers who died in their 40s and 50s because they aren't around to join the conversation. The human brain naturally latches onto the single exception to the rule because it gives us an excuse to keep doing what we want to do.

It all loops right back to your original point about the train tracks and the Crusader fire: if a human being wants to believe something badly enough, the brain will warp reality to make it make sense.

Would you like to explore how cognitive biases like survivor bias shape other things we believe, or perhaps look at how the 1990s pub and drinking culture fueled some of these legends?

Quick questions if you have time:

• How is the depth of this explanation?
• What should we talk about next?

Walt Disney, smoked and was drinking, both are seen as a way to deal with stress, and he was dealing with many issues at Disney, because of how well he did, that might look easy, but from theory, to planning and doing all them great actions, films, theme parks, and many other things, there was no easy way to make any do well, that all took everyone at Disney working on each plan, to get there ? and that is very stressful ?

You are completely right. Walt Disney is the perfect example of how immense success often hides an unbelievable amount of behind-the-scenes pressure, and how high-achieving individuals frequently use substances like tobacco and alcohol to cope with that burden.

Building an empire of that scale was never easy, and it required a massive, coordinated effort that pushed everyone involved to their limits.

The Illusion of "Disney Magic"

From the outside, Disney's success looks like pure magic, but every single film, theme park, and innovation was an uphill battle.

• The Financial Gambles: Walt famously risked everything multiple times. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was mocked by the industry as "Disney's Folly" before it came out. He had to mortgage his home to help fund Disneyland. The stress of potentially bankrupting his company and losing his dream was constant.
• The Complexity of Execution: Turning a creative theory into a physical reality—like building the world's first modern theme park or synchronising sound with animation—took thousands of animators, engineers (Imagineers), and builders working under tight deadlines. Walt was a notorious perfectionist, which created a high-pressure environment for everyone at the studio.

Walt’s Coping Mechanisms

To manage this relentless stress, Walt turned to the common coping mechanisms of his era. He was a heavy chain-smoker (favoring unfiltered Lucky Strikes or French Gauloises) and a regular drinker, often enjoying a scotch or a "bourbon mist" at the end of a grueling day to wind down.

In the mid-20th century, these habits weren't just socially acceptable; they were actively marketed as tools for relaxation. For Walt, they were a way to quiet a mind that was constantly spinning with budgets, deadlines, and creative problems. Tragically, this exact coping mechanism caught up with him, and he died of lung cancer in 1966 at the age of 65.

Collective Stress for a Collective Goal

You made an excellent point that it took everyone at Disney to get there. Because Walt's visions were so grand, the pressure trickled down to every animator, writer, and technician.

• In 1941, the stress and tension over pay and recognition actually led to a massive animators' strike, which deeply upset Walt and shattered his view of the studio as "one big happy family."
• The intense drive to innovate meant the staff was constantly working long hours, dealing with strict perfectionism, and breaking entirely new ground without a blueprint.

The Ultimate Trade-Off

This brings your thoughts on human nature full circle: even the most brilliant, celebrated minds in history are vulnerable to the exact same flaws and pressures. Walt Disney changed global culture, but to survive the stress of doing so, he relied on habits that ultimately shortened his life. It highlights how humans often trade long-term physical health for short-term emotional survival when facing monumental stress.

If you want, we can explore:

• The incredible stress and story behind building the very first Disneyland in 1955.
• How the 1941 animators' strike changed the way the studio worked.
• Other famous historical figures who used extreme habits to fuel their genius.

Let me know what angle you'd like to look into!

How the 1941 animators' strike changed the way the studio worked.

The 1941 Disney animators' strike was a watershed moment that permanently shattered the illusion of the studio as a whimsical, carefree utopia. Lasting for nine weeks from May to September 1941, the strike deeply traumatised Walt Disney personally and fundamentally restructured how the studio operated.

Here is exactly how the strike changed the way the studio worked:

1. The Death of the "Paternalistic" Culture

Before 1941, Walt ran the studio like a strict but benevolent father. He knew everyone by name, threw company studio parties, and expected absolute loyalty in return. He genuinely believed his workers didn't need a union because he would look after them.

• The Change: The strike ended this family dynamic forever. When his "children" picketed outside his gates, Walt felt deeply betrayed. The studio shifted instantly into a formal, corporate environment. Professional barriers went up, and the casual, intimate workspace was replaced by a rigid management-versus-labor structure.

2. Unionisation and Standardised Pay

Prior to the strike, pay at Disney was completely arbitrary. Walt handed out bonuses based on personal favoritism and how much he valued a specific animator's work. Top animators made fortunes, while lower-tier assistants, inkers, and painters (many of whom were women) earned barely enough to survive.

• The Change: The Screen Cartoonists Guild won the strike. Disney became a union shop, which introduced standardized wage scales, overtime pay, a structured 40-hour work week, and guaranteed screen credits for the artists' work. It leveled the playing field but stripped Walt of his absolute financial control over his staff.

3. A Massive Talent Drain and Restructuring

The strike created vicious, lifelong personal rifts. Picketing animators screamed at those who crossed the line (the "scabs"), and Walt kept a literal blacklist of the ringleaders.

• The Change: Once the strike ended, the atmosphere was toxic. Many of Disney’s most brilliant, highly creative animators left or were systematically pushed out. Prominent animators like Walt Kelly (creator of Pogo) and John Hubley left. This massive talent drain forced Disney to heavily rely on a core group of trusted loyalists who had stood by him—a group that eventually became known as his legendary "Nine Old Men."

4. Spawning the Competition (The Birth of UPA)

The rigid corporate atmosphere left behind at Disney stifled the experimental desires of several artists.

• The Change: A group of frustrated ex-Disney strikers went on to form UPA (United Productions of America). UPA rejected Disney’s hyper-realistic, expensive animation style in favor of a flat, highly stylized, mid-century modern look (seen in characters like Mr. Magoo). UPA became Disney’s fiercest creative competitor in the 1950s, forcing Disney to adapt its own art style in films like Sleeping Beauty.

5. Walt’s Emotional Pivot to Disneyland

Perhaps the biggest operational shift was psychological. The strike, combined with World War II taking over his studio for propaganda films, soured Walt’s passion for pure animation. He felt the animation business was too volatile, too dependent on moody artists, and too financially stressful.

• The Change: Walt began looking for a project where he could have absolute control without relying entirely on a massive unionized workforce. This profound shift in his focus directly sowed the seeds for Disneyland in the 1950s. He poured his energy into mechanical engineering, audio-animatronics, and physical architecture—realms where he felt he could build a perfect world that wouldn't go on strike.

The 1941 strike effectively ended the Golden Age of experimental, innocent animation at Disney, forcing the studio to grow up into the highly structured, corporate media powerhouse it is today.

If you'd like to explore this era further, let me know:

• How the Nine Old Men came to completely dominate Disney's creative direction.
• The role World War II played in saving the studio financially right after the strike.
• How Walt used audio-animatronics in Disneyland to replace unpredictable live human elements.

Many of history’s most celebrated minds relied on extreme, bizarre, or destructive habits to cope with the immense pressure of their work or to fuel their creative focus. Just like Walt Disney, these figures found unique—and often dangerous—ways to manage their genius.

1. Honoré de Balzac: The 50-Cup-a-Day Coffee Addiction

The legendary 19th-century French novelist and playwright was driven by a staggering addiction to black coffee to fuel his manic writing schedule.

• The Habit: Balzac would wake up at midnight every night and write for up to 15 hours a day straight. To sustain this brutal pace, he reportedly drank up to 50 cups of intense black coffee daily.
• The Toll: When drinking it wasn't fast enough, he would eat crushed coffee grounds on an empty stomach. His extreme stimulant abuse caused severe stomach cramps, high blood pressure, and ultimately contributed to his fatal heart failure at age 51.

2. Thomas Edison: Strategic Sleep Deprivation

The American inventor who secured over 1,000 patents viewed sleep as an absolute waste of valuable time.

• The Habit: Edison practiced a form of extreme polyphasic sleep. Instead of sleeping through the night, he trained himself to survive on short 20-to-30-minute naps scattered throughout the day and night, totalling barely 3 or 4 hours of rest in a 24-hour cycle.
• The Technique: To catch himself drifting too deep, he would nap sitting up while holding a steel ball in each hand. As his body relaxed into deep sleep, his hands would drop the balls onto pie pans on the floor, jolting him awake to return to work.

3. Winston Churchill: The "Fluids" and the "Black Dog"

Britain's wartime Prime Minister carried the weight of an entire nation through World War II while battling severe depression, which he famously called his "Black Dog."

• The Habit: Churchill was functional but relied on an immense, highly ritualistic intake of alcohol and tobacco from morning until night. He began his day with Pol Roger champagne or whisky and soda (which he called "mouthwash"), drank wine at lunch, port after dinner, and smoked roughly 8 to 10 large Cuban cigars every single day.
• The Reality: While it appeared reckless, historians note this was a strictly managed routine to maintain a steady state of stimulation and sedation, allowing him to work 18-hour days under unfathomable mental stress.

4. Nikola Tesla: The OCD Regimen and Toe Exercises

The brilliant electrical engineer and futurist lived a life dictated by extreme rituals and severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

• The Habit: Tesla required absolute precision in everything. He curled his toes 100 times on each foot every single night, claiming it stimulated his brain cells. He was completely obsessed with the number three—he would only stay in hotel rooms with numbers divisible by three, and wiped his dining table with exactly 18 napkins before eating.
• The Toll: He also claimed to sleep for only two hours a night. While these rigid habits allowed him to visualize complex machinery entirely in his head, his intensifying isolation and mental rituals eventually alienated him from society, and he died alone in a hotel room.

5. Sigmund Freud: The Cocaine Evangelist

The father of psychoanalysis sought a shortcut to cure his social anxiety and boost his demanding mental stamina.

• The Habit: In the 1880s, Freud became deeply obsessed with cocaine, using it heavily and prescribing it to his friends, family, and patients. He praised it in medical papers as a "miracle drug" that cured depression, chronic fatigue, and indigestion.
• The Pivot: It took the tragic addiction and death of a close colleague for Freud to realize the destructive nature of the substance, leading him to heavily suppress his earlier writings on it. However, he replaced that addiction with a severe 20-cigar-a-day smoking habit that eventually caused the jaw cancer that ended his life.

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If you want to keep exploring this side of history, let me know if you would like to:

• Look into how Thomas Edison's sleep deprivation created a fierce rivalry with Nikola Tesla's rigid routines.
• Explore the bizarre eccentricities of famous writers like Agatha Christie or Charles Dickens.
• Examine how modern high-achievers use "biohacking" as a modern equivalent to these historical habits.