Displaying all articles tagged:

Fear

  1. 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.”
  2. science of us
    What Your Ability to Handle Horror Movies Says About YouFor everyone too easily spooked to go see Hereditary.
  3. Investigating My Lifelong Phobia of Cotton BallsIt’s called sidonglobophobia, and it’s a lot more emotionally fraught than it sounds.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. When Awe Turns FrighteningIt’s not all sunsets. It’s also thunderstorms.
  7. 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.
  8. Scientists Can Hack Your Brain to Help You Forget Your FearsIt’s a trickier form of exposure therapy.
  9. How the Way You Breathe Affects What You RememberThis one applies to the nose only — sorry, mouth-breathers.
  10. Insects Are Scary Because Your Brain Confuses Disgust With FearHow can something so small and harmless be so terrifying?
  13. Why Some People Never Grow Out of a Fear of the DarkNight-light, anyone?
  14. People Fear Clowns for the Same Reason They Fear UncertaintyWhy clowns’ creepiness isn’t confined to horror movies.
  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.
  16. How Scary Stories Help Kids Learn to Handle Fear in Real LifeEven at a young age, horror has its benefits.
  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.
  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.
  19. health
    The Fear of Terrorism Is Dangerous on a Biological LevelResearch reveals the physiological impact of “consistent exposure to terror threats.” 
  20. psychology
    What Motivates Extreme Athletes to Take Huge Risks?For many, the answer isn’t what you’d assume. 
  21. the brain
    Partial Lobotomy Cures Man’s ArachnophobiaNow he kind of likes the little guys.
  22. How to Get Over Stage FrightAnd two more mind tricks to get over your fear of public speaking. 
  25. Wal-Mart Is Terrified of Selling Clothes, Especially Fashionable OnesKathy Lee Gifford is partly to blame.