This is one of the most exciting and interesting papers I've worked on in a while. I was fortunate enough to have @EdgarDubourg as a collaborator to help bring this idea to life.

Vulnerability and the computational logic of fear:
insights from the horror genre

A short 🧵 Most of my work in the past few years has been on the paradox of horror: why we do sometimes seek out narratives that frighten us?

The answer seems clear now: Because we are morbidly curious.

But what is it about these narratives that frightens us?

I've argued that recreational fear (e.g., horror movies) can help build resilience by offering playful opportunities to practice emotion regulation skills.

This paper on spider and height phobia suggests exposure treatment does generalize across categorically different fears.

For papers on horror and emotion regulation:

1) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

👻🎃HORROR MEGA THREAD🎃👻

Over the past few months, I've tweeted out a number of threads about the psychology of the horror genre and true crime.

I thought it would be fun to put together a mega thread of threads for the spooky season.

1/🧵 First up, let's talk about true crime and serial killers. I've received a bunch of interview requests the past 2 weeks to talk about the new #DahmerMonster series.

Why are we fascinated with evil men? Check out this thread to learn more:

https://twitter.com/MorbidPsych/status/1519000390741766144?s=20&t=3ylpdKwydPA2PGW3TG_7VQ

2/🧵

What makes Freddy Krueger an iconic horror villain?

I thought it would be fun to look at a specific horror icon and examine the psychology behind their appeal.

For the general background on this, see my recent thread:

https://twitter.com/MorbidPsych/status/1559262040937574400?s=20&t=9l54mM2SYeQgCMJlXXRkwA

So, why is Freddy so great?

1/🧵 Let's start with his looks.

Freddy loves kids, has a great sense of fashion and is, in some ways, the man of your dreams. However, I think we can all agree that he might not fare too well on Tinder.

Rather than masking his face, Freddy proudly shows it.

2/🧵

👹What makes a horror villain psychologically appealing?👹

There are an almost endless number of ways that a horror monster can be built, yet most of them share some common features.

So, what are some of the shared features of a successful horror villain?

1/🧵 Let's start with the weapon.

The weapon of choice for horror villains varies quite a lot, but they all share one common feature: Sharp edges.

Machetes, knives, razor gloves, chainsaws, hatchets, big teeth, large claws.

Sharp weapons are the go-to for horror. But why?

2/🧵

Both the public and academics often claim that horror fans are less empathetic and compassionate, but is this true?

My new paper suggests this stereotype is inaccurate.

psyarxiv.com/rhc23

Read on to see why. This was a fun set of studies

1/🧵👇 The rise of slashers led to moral panic from the public & critics in the 80's. Gene Siskel encouraged readers to mail complaints to Paramount's chairman, & The UK banned what they called "video nasties," leading the Scotland Yard to raid VHS stores.
imdb.com/list/ls0513642…

2/🧵

🚨3 Misconceptions about horror fan psychology🚨

Horror is a controversial genre, and horror fans are a commonly misunderstood group of people.

Here are 3 of the most common misconceptions about horror fans and why they are wrong.

1. Thrill-seekers
2. Anxiety
3. Empathy

1/🧵 ⚠️Misconception #1⚠️

Aren't horror fans just thrill-seekers?

This idea comes from work in the 1980s on sensation-seeking. Sensation-seeking is a trait that promotes the seeking of varied, novel, complex & intense sensations & experiences.

2/🧵

Why are we fascinated with serial killers and evil men?

I gave a Science on Screen talk last week about our fascination with evil men, using Patrick Bateman from AMERICAN PSYCHO as an example. Here's a thread with the main points & some of my slides

🧵 Humans are fascinated with morbid situations, and this shows up across entertainment. Take horror, for example

1. It's the most profitable film genre

2. 2 of the 5 most widely listened to podcasts tell stories about evil men

3. horror novelists sell billions of books

2/🧵

How much do you know about the horror genre?

Here's a short thread of really fun infographics about horror movies, many of which I found on @DataIsBeautiful. We've got everything from demographics to jump scares to Bechdel Test scores.

A few of these may surprise you!

1/💀 Let's start with popularity. The past 2 years have seen horror devour its largest share of the Box Office in history.

People flocked to horror during the pandemic. However, the popularity of horror (and thrillers!) has been on a steady upward trend for decades.

2/💀