Despite a recent death in an accident on a Southwest flight, it's still safer to fly than drive . So why do we still get sweaty palms before takeoff? Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explains the math behind our fears… and how we might be able to overcome them.

Three Takeaways 

• Flying makes us nervous because the stakes are very, very high. Even though we know a plane crash is unlikely, if it does happen, the outcome is probably not going to be good.
• If a flight is going to have problems, statistics show that it’ll likely be during takeoff. Knowing this, Cheng listened to a recording of a jet engine revving up while sitting on her couch at home. She began to associate the sound with the comfort of home.
• Our fears are often rooted in some kind of rationality, says Cheng. And sometimes math can help us dissect them.

More reading 

• Check out Eugenia Cheng’s latest book, Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics.
• Forbes writes about the commercial airline industry’s remarkable safety record of late.
• Still have a fear of flying? There's an app for that.