Recreational Fear Lab

Research unit based at @AarhusUni. We study frightening leisure activities: scary play, creepy movies, horrifying haunts. Currently funded by @DFF_raad.

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

What's the Recreational Fear Lab, and what are we up to? You can learn about some of our projects and meet several lab members in our new promo video (@TTerkildsen, @Marc_M_Andersen, @MathiasClasen, @MorbidPsych, and @mihaela_taranu): https://t.co/PHRQdfgOxy

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

Why did @StephenKing become everybody's favorite boogeyman? Help us find out by taking (and sharing) the Stephen King Fan Survey:

[Mathias Clasen @MathiasClasen]

Calling Stephen King fans of the world! I want to know about your King fascination. Please help by taking and sharing this survey: https://t.co/tgIXZFQWQv.

If you complete the survey, you can enter the raffle for a homemade SK figure. (Prototype depicted here.)

[Mathias Clasen @MathiasClasen]

The Fifth Annual Aarhus Workshop on Recreational Fear is coming up. Don't forget to register!

https://t.co/rOpDXiYkY9

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

Our 5th annual workshop on recreational fear is happening in Aarhus on Dec 12!

Free participation, registration required. Venue: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (https://t.co/5GCIfbTxVn)

Speakers + program: https://t.co/ZeIZwfQTTU

Register: https://t.co/kP2n5iOOzR

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

Thrilled to present a new PhD student in the lab: Aleksandra Cyrek 🥳👻🎃

https://t.co/bwxuYkqH8Y

[Prof Neil Martin @ThatNeilMartin]

Recreational fear in childhood, from the gang over at the @RecFearLab and elsewhere: https://t.co/mgWennYqfH

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

- but an exciting one. Thanks to our amazing research assistants, fantastic collaborators, and to the brave participants who screamed for science. 👻

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

🧟‍♂️🚨 New Publication in Emotion

Thrilled to share our new paper: "Scared Together: Heart Rate Synchrony and Social Closeness in a High-Intensity Horror Setting"

https://t.co/6PLlhsQwgQ

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

These results align wiith prior research showing that shared experiences can amplify both emotional intensity and physiological alignment. Whether this synchrony emerges during shared fear or reflects pre-existing alignment between close individuals remains an open question -

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

Fear play is mostly social - done with parents, siblings, or friends. And it might serve a purpose: helping kids manage emotions, evaluate risks, and promote learning. This is the first study to show how common that is across childhood.

Amazing work, Mihaela! Congrats!

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

🚨 Kids LOVE fear?!🚨 Our new study led by Mihaela Taranu from the Recreational Fear Lab uncovers something surprising: Children across all ages actively seek out scary experiences - for fun! 📄https://t.co/Ih15DHj22O

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

They ask to poke a dead bird with a stick.
They sneak peeks at horror clips online.
They dare each other to jump from the shed roof.
They test how close their finger can get to a knife’s edge.

These might sound concerning or odd - but they’re developmentally typical!

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

👇🙏❤️

[Prof Neil Martin @ThatNeilMartin]

Inside the Fear Lab! Out today in The Dark Side issue 267, I interview @RecFearLab co-creator, @MathiasClasen. Get your copy now before I buy them all. It's a very special spread. cc @PromoteHorror

[Here Be Humans @herebehumans]

Thanks to all who have taken part already!

We now have a large number of scifi & thriller fans 🛸🧟, but true crime, horror, drama, and fantasy fans are lagging (among others) 👮👹🧝 - where these fans at?

Take part to tell us why your genre is your favourite (5-10 mins)!

[Recreational Fear Lab @RecFearLab]

A high point from last year's recreational fear workshop 👇

[Prof Neil Martin @ThatNeilMartin]

It's only taken six months but here it is. I've put my @RecFearLab talk from August 2024 on Slide share.

"In the two minutes before you go to sleep: Children and adolescents’ responses to horror and horror film"

https://t.co/hYgDUrCofe