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31 terrifying psychology links for Halloween!

Spooky psychology.

31 October 2013

By Christian Jarrett

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Spook me, please: What psychology tells us about the appeal of Halloween

What do young children know about managing fear?

Irrational human decision making during a zombie apocalypse.

Extreme fear experienced without the amygdala.

How to make a zombie brain (See also this related video).

The smell of fear is more powerful than previously realised.

Zombie faces: Why are we afraid of them? (BBC article)

The Lure of Horror – feature article on the psychology of horror fiction (see also).

How to make a Halloween brain cake (ht @mocost).

From BBC Radio 4 (now on iPlayer) – The Sound of Fear.

Would it be morally ambiguous to kill a zombie?

Things that go bump in the night: exploring the scary side of life – Psychology Today special.

Why you should watch a horror film before going to the art gallery.

Some people urinate when they're frightened. Other people can't urinate when they're nervous. What's going on?

At what age do babies enter the uncanny valley?

How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse Using Science (from Wired).

Where dread is located in the brain.

Embodying another person's face makes it easier to recognise their fear.

Terror in the night: article on sleep paralysis.

Snakes in a brain scanner!

Horror Director Eli Roth Explores What Makes Good People Do Evil Things in a TV Special.

Six reasons we're so fascinated by zombies (Psych files podcast).

Fear really does have a smell.

The Neurocritic discusses the pathological fear of being buried alive.

What spooks the masters of horror? Top horror movie makers say which films scared them the most.

Yikes! Thoughts of death increase the appeal of Intelligent Design (and make people randy!)

To the bunkers … reminders of disease prime the body and mind to repel other people.

Why do we get goose-bumps?

Bonus link:

The Scientific Way To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse (according to neuroscientist Bradley Voytek).