Why we'd rather die than drop our trousers

It's not just shyness -deep-seated psychological triggers and social conditioning are stopping us from getting the help we need.

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Why does a rational adult, knowing they have a potentially serious symptom, choose to ignore it rather than speak to a medical professional whose entire career is based on confidentiality?

According to psychologists, the “ostrich effect” - burying our heads in the sand-is a powerful, albeit maladaptive, coping mechanism. The immediate anxiety of verbalising an embarrassing problem to a stranger (even a doctor) often outweighs the long-term, abstract fear of future illness. In that moment, silence feels safer than exposure.