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Scientists Explain Why Humans Seek Out Scary Experiences
- University of Colorado Boulder researchers identified the interpeduncular nucleus as a brain circuit managing freeze-and-flee responses, the study in Molecular Psychiatry reports.
- In a 'mouse haunted house' maze, Elora Williams and Susanna Molas projected a predator-like visual looming stimulus for three consecutive days and tracked neural signals with fiber photometry.
- On the first day, mice froze and fled as IPN activity spiked, by day three they habituated and IPN activity dropped, while optogenetics flipped fear behaviors regardless of exposure.
- Authors say IPN disruptions could contribute to anxiety and PTSD, and this work challenges the amygdala-centric view by assigning fear regulation to the interpeduncular nucleus .
- The discovery links to theories that horror serves as a threat simulation, advancing understanding of how horror and frightening entertainment promote psychological resilience and adaptive learning.
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A key circuit not only triggers solidification and escape reaction. It also pushes it down again as soon as you realize that there is no real danger
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Haunted-House Experience Scares Up Interesting Insights on the Body’s Reaction to Threats
Dilated pupils, sweating, and a rapid heartbeat are some of the physiological responses that people experience when faced with a threatening situation. New research used the immersive experience of a haunted house to reveal that these responses differ depending on the social context and other factors.
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Total News Sources74
Leaning Left7Leaning Right7Center46Last UpdatedBias Distribution77% Center
Bias Distribution
- 77% of the sources are Center
77% Center
12%
C 77%
11%
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