Displaying all articles tagged:

Fear

  1. science of us
    The 15 Most Stressful Sentences From That Big Fungus StoryWhy isn’t everyone more terrified of drug resistance?
    By Edith Zimmerman
  2. fear
    Hiding Out in the Wikipedia Page of a Horror MovieExperts weigh in on your habit of reading plot summaries instead of actually watching.
    By Gabriella Paiella
  3. science of us
    Nothing Is Scarier Than Bugs Crawling Into Bodily Orifices“In most places,” though, “the odds of waking up with an insect inside you are slim.”
    By Edith Zimmerman
  4. science of us
    What Your Ability to Handle Horror Movies Says About YouFor everyone too easily spooked to go see Hereditary.
    By Cari Romm
  5. Investigating My Lifelong Phobia of Cotton BallsIt’s called sidonglobophobia, and it’s a lot more emotionally fraught than it sounds.
    By Crystal Ponti
  6. If You Learn What a Bedbug Looks Like, You Won’t Freak Out Over False AlarmsMost people can’t pick a bedbug out of a lineup, leading to a lot of unnecessary angst when they spot another type of bug.
    By Cari Romm
  7. How Growing Up With the Threat of Nuclear War Shapes Kids’ PsychesResearch on children during the Cold War shows that the pervasive fear affected how they later related to the world as adults.
    By Elizabeth King
  8. When Awe Turns FrighteningIt’s not all sunsets. It’s also thunderstorms.
    By Drake Baer
  9. political psychology
    Are Conservatives More Scared of Stuff Than Liberals?A new study adds some weight to the idea that they might be, but it’s important to recognize the caveats.
    By Jesse Singal
  10. Scientists Can Hack Your Brain to Help You Forget Your FearsIt’s a trickier form of exposure therapy.
    By Cari Romm
  11. How the Way You Breathe Affects What You RememberThis one applies to the nose only — sorry, mouth-breathers.
    By Cari Romm
  12. Insects Are Scary Because Your Brain Confuses Disgust With FearHow can something so small and harmless be so terrifying?
    By Cari Romm
  13. Why Some People Never Grow Out of a Fear of the DarkNight-light, anyone?
    By Cari Romm
  14. People Fear Clowns for the Same Reason They Fear UncertaintyWhy clowns’ creepiness isn’t confined to horror movies.
    By Cari Romm
  15. The Neurological Reason Fearmongering Is Such a Powerful Political ToolIf you want to convince people of something before they can even think about it, scare them.
    By Drake Baer
  16. How Scary Stories Help Kids Learn to Handle Fear in Real LifeEven at a young age, horror has its benefits.
    By Cari Romm
  17. Running From Nothing: Why False-Alarm Freak-outs HappenThe LAX stampede is the most recent example of this recent trend of false-alarm freak-outs.
    By Rick Paulas
  18. You Could Probably Lift a Car, If You Really Needed ToThe science of superhuman strength says your body is stronger than it lets on.
    By Cari Romm
  19. health
    The Fear of Terrorism Is Dangerous on a Biological LevelResearch reveals the physiological impact of “consistent exposure to terror threats.” 
    By Melissa Dahl
  20. psychology
    What Motivates Extreme Athletes to Take Huge Risks?For many, the answer isn’t what you’d assume. 
    By Melissa Dahl
  21. the brain
    Partial Lobotomy Cures Man’s ArachnophobiaNow he kind of likes the little guys.
    By Melissa Dahl
  22. How to Get Over Stage FrightAnd two more mind tricks to get over your fear of public speaking. 
    By Melissa Dahl
  23. Wal-Mart Is Terrified of Selling Clothes, Especially Fashionable OnesKathy Lee Gifford is partly to blame.
    By Amy Odell