The NYT headline is clearly link bait. If it had simply said "Some thoughts on everyday risks we underestimate" if would go nowhere.
That said there is a clear benefit and need to take a shower for many people as opposed to sleeping under a tree or crossing the street in the middle for which there is a work around.
What is nowadays called "link bait" used to be called "headlines" back in the days of paperboys and rotary presses. It's simply an old journalistic practice.
A good headline is pretty much 'link bait' by definition. If a feature writer mistakenly wrote a terrible headline like yours, I would expect the newspaper editor to fix it before going to press.
That said there is a clear benefit and need to take a shower for many people as opposed to sleeping under a tree or crossing the street in the middle for which there is a work around.