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From Clowns to Buttons, These Weird Phobias Afflict Many People
Fear itself is not a bad thing — it can actually serve a protective, useful purpose. In some cases it leads to fight or flight , the body’s sympathetic nervous system response to a perceived threat. But when fear is irrational
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The Science Behind Ouija Boards
Maybe you’re at a sleepover, or a Halloween party. Maybe it’s night, it’s probably night. You sit before a board with the alphabet printed on it, a little sun and moon, the words “yes” and
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Why We’re Obsessed with Halloween Haunted Houses, According to a Psychologist
Many Halloween fans love that the holiday is an excuse to dress up and eat orange-ified versions of their favorite candy. I’m obsessed with Halloween for a different reason. Every year, I make a list of the
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Why A Good Scare Is Sometimes The Right Call
This week is our last with Maddie as a host, so we’re spending it with a trip down memory lane. The first episode Maddie invites us to relive and enjoy is our first listener question
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Stage Fright
The pressure. The expectations. The anxiety. If there’s one thing that connects the athletes gathering for the Olympic games with the rest of us, it’s the stress that can come from performing in front of
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Commentary: Gavin Newsom’s wheel of vaccine fortune: When a game show is as good a metaphor as any
Our perceptions of risk, as many insurance adjusters and sports teams with comfortable leads know, could be better. Academics study this. For a 2013 Assn. for Psychological Science paper, 101 college students, in exchange for extra