Therein lies the problem of selective attention. We prioritize and choose information that is relevant. That is, information that we choose to make relevant. Unfortunately, relevance has little to do with reality and a lot to do with perception. Equally unfortunate is the fact that perception is distorted by the brain's willingness to accept reality.
Some realities are clearly more appealing than others.
There would be significantly fewer bankruptcies if we selected to attend to the consequences of over charging on credit cards. The marriage rate and subsequently the divorce rate would substantially be reduce if we attended to who our future partner is rather than who we wanted him or her to be. The death rate and amount of damage from heart attacks could be significantly reduced if we selectively attended to warning signals rather than selectively unattending to them. Mild chest pressure, aching or burning that comes and goes. Chest discomfort that may be mistaken for indigestion.