system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
You're on a train and it crashes. Is it better to be in a forward facing or a rear facing seat?
gpt
It's better to be facing backwards (this applies in planes as well).

Either way, you're basically going to be decelerating instantaneously.  The difference is where the force is applied.  When facing backwards, the force is distributed across your entire back and it keeps all of your body parts held in stable positions.  When facing forwards, assuming you aren't strapped in in any way, it's much more likely that your initial impact would be on a very small area, such as your face, the top of your head, or a limb.  Even if you were to be strapped in, the force is being distributed over a much smaller area than if you're facing backwards, and your head would also snap forward (and likely back again), causing whiplash, a concussion, or worse.

Edit: The primary reason that plane seats are oriented towards the front is just because passengers prefer that.  Plane accidents are rare enough that this sort of thing isn't a big enough issue to attract public attention, but perceived discomfort is.