{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"The Anatomy of Fear: How Horror Movies Rewire Your Brain","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/690bfce4b27ff20ceb411c20/1791424598790-333edfba-979d-462a-80d4-39f5eff3600e.jpeg?height=200","description":"

Have you ever wondered why we intentionally pay money to sit in dark theaters, scream at jump scares, and subject ourselves to nightmare-inducing stories? In this kickoff to our October Psychological Spooktacular, we’re cracking open the neurobiology and clinical psychology behind the "safe scare."

Join me as I breaks down the intense neural tug-of-war between your amygdala's subcortical alarm and your prefrontal cortex's executive control. Discover how horror acts as an emotional flight simulator, why scary movies can be a powerful tool for down-regulating real-world anxiety, and how understanding concepts like "benign masochism" and "morbid curiosity" can help you reclaim sovereignty over your nervous system.

In this episode, we explore:

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Music Credits

All music in this episode is licensed via Epidemic Sound:

","author_name":"John Shaw"}