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INTERVIEW: Everyone loves a ghost train: but why do we love being scared?

INTERVIEW: Everyone loves a ghost train: but why do we love being scared?

Scary movies, haunted houses and trick or treating, October is the unofficial start to “spooky season” - at least, that's what you would think judging by what's on the shelves in our local shops. Sarah Kollat, teaching professor of psychology at Penn State University in the US, says there are lots of reasons people like to be scared. At a chemical level, our brains and bodies are reacting to the jump scares in a movie and “surviving” a haunted house. But psychologists also say getting scared in a safe environment prepares us for real danger.

SBS News In Depth · SBS Audio

October 3, 20253m 40s

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Show Notes

Scary movies, haunted houses and trick or treating, October is the unofficial start to “spooky season” - at least, that's what you would think judging by what's on the shelves in our local shops. Sarah Kollat, teaching professor of psychology at Penn State University in the US, says there are lots of reasons people like to be scared. At a chemical level, our brains and bodies are reacting to the jump scares in a movie and “surviving” a haunted house. But psychologists also say getting scared in a safe environment prepares us for real danger.
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