Ep 35: Why do we enjoy playing with fear?

10/26/23 • 19 min

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 ask why so many of us are drawn to things that should make us run a mile, and whether we can use fear to help us better cope with day-to-day anxiety. Host Ella Rhodes speaks with Director of The Recreational Fear Lab, Dr Mathias Clasen, and Cambridge University PhD student Lucie Daniel-Watanabe to discover why fear isn’t always to be feared.

Episode credits:

Written and hosted by Ella Rhodes.

Audio mixing and editing by Jeff Knowler.

Edited by Emma Barratt.

Not done learning about fear?

Get into Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe’s look at the psychology of fear, fright-nights and exploring the unknown. Or if coping with fear piques your interest, why not explore what children know about managing fear with this piece by Christian Jarrett. Still curious? Dive deeper into our guest Dr Matthias Clasen’s work right here.

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology

Routledge Psychology is part of the Taylor & Francis Group, and publishing partner for the BPS Core Textbooks Series. Browse over 5 million articles at www.tandfonline.com, and related books at www.routledge.com.

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?

Episode credits:

Written and hosted by Ella Rhodes.

Audio mixing and editing by Jeff Knowler.

Edited by Emma Barratt.

Not done learning about fear?

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology

Previous Episode

Ep 34: How do you make friends as an adult?

This is Episode 34 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology.

Despite it being easier than ever to communicate, so many of us find it challenging to make new friends – especially as we get older. Opening up conversations with strangers can leave us feeling like a bother, and fizzle into nothing more than a one-off interaction. The loneliness this can create isn’t just a passing sting, it can have ongoing impacts to both our mental and physical health. So, in this episode, Ginny Smith asks: just how do we make friends as adults?

To get to the bottom of this problem, Ginny speaks with our expert guests Dr. Marissa G. Franco (Professor, speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of Platonic) and Dr Gillian Sandstrom (Senior Lecturer in the psychology of kindness at the University of Sussex). Together, they give their insights on why so many of us run into problems expanding our social circle, and share some practical advice on how to make more connections.

Episode Credits:Written and hosted by Ginny Smith.Mixing and audio editing by Jeff Knowler.Edited by Emma Barratt.

Want to know more about the psychology of friendship?Discover plenty more on the topic over on our website.

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge PsychologyRoutledge Psychology is part of the Taylor & Francis Group, and publishing partner for the BPS Core Textbooks Series. Browse over 5 million articles at www.tandfonline.com, and related books at www.routledge.com.

Next Episode

Ep 36: The secrets of dreams and nightmares

This is Episode 36 of PsychCrunch, the podcast of the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology.

Why do we dream? And what business does a good dream have turning into a nightmare?

In this episode, Ella Rhodes embarks on an exploration of our non-waking life.

In it, she speaks with Director of the Swansea University Sleep Laboratory, Professor Mark Blagrove, about his research and latest theories about the origins of dreams.

Research Clinical Psychologist Dr Bryony Sheaves of Oxford University also shares her expert insights into why we have nightmares, and the innovative research revealing how treating them can improve our mental health.

Episode Credits:

Written and hosted by Ella Rhodes. Mixed and edited by Jeff Knowler. Edited by Emma Barratt.

Missed previous episodes? Get up to date via our PsychCrunch collection page.

Not done dreaming?

Check out The Psychologist’s most recent interview with Mark Blagrove for much more on the function of dreams.

Or explore some of Bryony’s latest research on nightmares in this Research Digest piece by Emily Reynolds.

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology

Routledge Psychology is part of the Taylor & Francis Group, and publishing partner for the BPS Core Textbooks Series. Browse over 5 million articles, and related books. BPS members are entitled to a 25% discount on all books published by Routledge – find your discount code here and visit the dedicated BPS Member page at Routledge here.