Things That Go Bump In The Lab: Halloween And The Science Of Fear

This week, for Halloween, the Hidden Brain podcast gets spooky.

Producer Maggie Penman visits a haunted house in Pittsburgh called The ScareHouse, curated in part by sociologist Margee Kerr.

Rachellynn Schoen / ScareHouse

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ScareHouse

Kerr teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and is the author of a new book called Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear.

Kerr and her colleague, neuroscientist Greg Siegle, are working on a paper about the upside of fear, collecting data on guests who visit ScareHouse before, after and during their experience. Through Maggie's visit, and the data Kerr and Siegle have been collecting, we learn a little bit about what scares us, and why some people enjoy this sensation enough to seek it out.

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1 of 4  — The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh is curated in part by sociologist Margee Kerr.

The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh is curated in part by sociologist Margee Kerr.

Rachellyn Schoen / ScareHouse

2 of 4  — The theater at ScareHouse.

The theater at ScareHouse.

Rachellyn Schoen / ScareHouse

3 of 4  — A clown at ScareHouse.

A clown at ScareHouse.

Rachellyn Schoen / ScareHouse

4 of 4  — Kerr and her colleague Greg Siegle have been collecting data on people who visit ScareHouse — and see sights like this.

Kerr and her colleague Greg Siegle have been collecting data on people who visit ScareHouse — and see sights like this.

Rachellyn Schoen / ScareHouse

The Hidden Brain podcast is produced by Kara McGuirk-Alison and Maggie Penman. Follow us on Twitter @hiddenbrain, @karamcguirk and @maggiepenman, and listen for Hidden Brain stories every week on your local public radio station. We're also on Facebook and Instagram @hiddenbrain.

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