Folklore & LegendsNo. 7601 · The 2026 edition
Things That Go Bump In The Lab: Halloween And The Science Of Fear
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at web.archive.org.
About this
This Hidden Brain episode explores the science of fear for Halloween. Producer Maggie Penman visits The ScareHouse, a Pittsburgh haunted house with ties to sociologist Margee Kerr. Kerr, author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, and neuroscientist Greg Siegle are studying guests before, after and during their visit. The episode asks what scares us and why some people seek out fear.
The list
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Things That Go Bump In The Lab: Halloween And The Science Of Fear 2015
Hidden Brain episode 6; haunted-house fear study with Margee Kerr and Greg Siegle.
Where to watch: NPR One · Apple Podcasts · Google Podcasts · Pocket Casts · Spotify · RSS link
Facts from the original
- Maggie Penman visits The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh for the episode.
- Sociologist Margee Kerr helps curate The ScareHouse.
- Margee Kerr teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Margee Kerr is the author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear.
- Kerr and neuroscientist Greg Siegle are working on a paper about the upside of fear.
- They collect data on ScareHouse guests before, after and during their experience.
- The episode looks at what scares people and why some enjoy the sensation enough to seek it out.
- The Hidden Brain podcast is produced by Kara McGuirk-Alison and Maggie Penman.
- The audio piece runs 21:35 and includes a transcript.
- A four-image slideshow from ScareHouse appears on the page, credited to Rachellyn Schoen/ScareHouse.
- The page lists social accounts @hiddenbrain, @karamcguirk and @maggiepenman on Twitter, and @hiddenbrain on Facebook and Instagram.
