The Science Of Scary: Why It's So Fun To Be Freaked Out
When it comes to hair-raising experiences, why do some of us cower while others can't get enough? Ken Carter, an expert on adrenaline junkies reveals what makes them tick.
Haunted houses. Skydiving. Scary movies.
Why do these horrifying things make some people delighted, and others, well, horrified?
For answers, NPR's Maddie Sofia, host of the daily science podcast Short Wave, spoke with the guy who wrote the book on what makes those folks tick. Ken Carter teaches psychology at Oxford College of Emory University, and is the author of Buzz!: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils and Adrenaline Junkies.
In the book Carter — a self-proclaimed lover of calm — gets into the minds of a "subset of people who crave stimulation and thrive in environments that would seem overstimulating, even chaotic, to the
