If you’ve ever jumped right out of your seat when watching a scary movie, you know that sometimes your body has a reaction to being surprised or frightened. One of our listeners wanted to know why that happens, and we asked neurologist Sarah Benish to help us understand.
Got a startlingly good Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/conta ... Show More
Oct 2023
Why do we jump when we get scared?
Whether you’re watching a horror film, or exposed to a sudden loud noise, all of us have jumped at some point when scared. The body’s response to getting startled is all too familiar: tense muscles, a racing heartbeat and a twitching neck, among others. But there’s still a lot of ... Show More
3m 57s
Jan 2023
Filled with Fear and Phobias (Inspired by White Noise)
This week on Know It All, Greg Brown and Mitch Moffit from AsapSCIENCE look at why we like getting scared and what exactly happens in our brains when we experience fear. Inspired by the movie White Noise, they also look deeper into just how common phobias are, and why humans have ... Show More
11m 41s
Oct 2023
Ep 35: Why do we enjoy playing with fear?
This is Episode 35 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society's Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. From haunted houses to scary movies, many of us find a thrill in a good scare. But… isn't that a bit counter-intuitive? In this episode, we as ... Show More
19m 40s
Oct 2025
Like Being Scared? Here’s Why
Like haunted houses? Scientists do! That’s because they’re an excellent place to study how humans respond to – and even actively seek out – fear. In an immersive threat setting, as opposed to a carefully controlled lab, researchers can learn a lot about what scares people, why an ... Show More
14m 15s