Why are we so worried about shark attacks?

Most of us just aren't great at being coldly analytical about the danger of shark attacks.

It's kind of like the fears of snakes and spiders. Spiders are tiny creatures that do very little harm in the world, but there is always that piece of the brain left over from prehistoric days that makes us recoil at the slightest provocation.

And this year, at least in the Carolinas, there actually seem to be more shark attacks than usual.

Statistically, this is kind of like saying, "This year there actually seem to be more priceless pearls being found in oysters than normal." It's not the kind of thing you'd change your oyster-buying habits over, but . . .

With this news being fed by the 24-hour news cycle, that scared feeling at the base of our skull is flashing . . . SHARKSSHARKSSHARKS!!!!

As of Friday, 10 people had been bitten by sharks off the coasts of North and South Carolina this year. Experts say the annual average is six attacks a year. So with summer just begun, 10 is a lot.

According to George H. Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, there are several possible explanations. Burgess is a pretty hot guy this week and has been interviewed extensively by CNN. He says both warmer water than usual and drought can create conditions that draw sharks closer to shore. But he also points out that with the improving economy, there are more people in the water than there have been over the past few years, and that the issue is not more sharks biting but more people to chew on, because the shark population is declining.

And experts are also quick to point out that no one involved in these 10 attacks has died.

That is apparently because sharks mostly don't like to eat people. Once they get a first nibble or two, they have what's technically known as a "picky teen getting a mouthful of cold gefilte fish jelly" response and stop chewing. I say "apparently" because the sharks would not return a call seeking comment and I had to rely on the human expert shark spokespeople again.

It's a reasonable surmise. And it's easier to believe that the reason there have been no deaths is because the often-brave people trying to fight off the sharks in the water are actually winning.

So . . . should the spate of shark attacks be worrisome?

Burgess says not, pointing out that you have a one in 11.5 million chance of being attacked by sharks in the United States and that between 1990 and 2009 about 1,000 times as many people died in cycling accidents as in shark attacks.

Logically, we know that. We know that it's far more dangerous to drive to the beach than to go into the water, but we compartmentalize those fears differently: In dealing with the fear of car accidents, we think, "I'll just drive really carefully and only tailgate and shoot the bird at people who are seriously asking for it." In dealing with the fear of sharks we think, as I may have noted earlier, "SHARKSSHARKSSHARKS!!!!"

If you're still worried about sharks, Burgess says there are some precautions that can be taken: Don't go out too far, don't wear shiny stuff, avoid swimming at dusk and dawn, when sharks mostly feed, and stay out of water during and after storms, when it's easier for sharks to mistake us for something they actually like to eat.

The media, in a very quiet post-same-sex marriage, Confederate Flag fatigue, Trump exhaustion cycle, is focused on shark attacks, but people mostly don't need to worry.

And as for the idea that the rush of attacks is somehow related to the 40th anniversary of the release of "Jaws"? I think that's ridiculous. I mean, I don't think sharks would watch "Jaws," because the end is so sad.

"Shark Week," though . . . now that's entertainment!