Research unit based at @AarhusUni. We study frightening leisure activities: scary play, creepy movies, horrifying haunts. Currently funded by @DFF_raad.
Aarhus, Denmark
Joined July 2020
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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): youtu.be/fhGHLj1JfRk
Can you measure the scariness of a slow-burn, dread-drenched horror movie such as THE WITCH from @EggersFilms/@A24? We gave it a go:
Obsession is making audiences scream in terror and howl with laughter.
How come?
And why do so many of the currently most interesting horror film directors have a background in comedy?
New blog post by @marchk: cc.au.dk/en/recreational-fea…
Why did @StephenKing become everybody's favorite boogeyman? Help us find out by taking (and sharing) the Stephen King Fan Survey:
Calling Stephen King fans of the world! I want to know about your King fascination. Please help by taking and sharing this survey: survey.au.dk/LinkCollector?k….
If you complete the survey, you can enter the raffle for a homemade SK figure. (Prototype depicted here.)
Recreational Fear Lab retweeted
The Fifth Annual Aarhus Workshop on Recreational Fear is coming up. Don't forget to register!
cc.au.dk/en/recreational-fea…
Our 5th annual workshop on recreational fear is happening in Aarhus on Dec 12!
Free participation, registration required. Venue: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (aias.au.dk)
Speakers + program: cc.au.dk/.../news-and-events…
Register: event.au.dk/events/when-fear…
Thrilled to present a new PhD student in the lab: Aleksandra Cyrek 🥳👻🎃
cc.au.dk/en/recreational-fea…
Recreational Fear Lab retweeted
Recreational fear in childhood, from the gang over at the @RecFearLab and elsewhere: link.springer.com/content/pd…
- but an exciting one. Thanks to our amazing research assistants, fantastic collaborators, and to the brave participants who screamed for science. 👻
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 -
🫀 Participants whose heart rates synchronized more with others in their group reported higher arousal.
🤝 Synchrony was significantly stronger among emotionally close pairs.
Participants also reported:
1) Who they knew in the group.
2) Who they were emotionally close to.
Here’s what we found:
... recruiting 347 participants. Groups of 4–5, often a mix of friends and strangers, walked through a high-intensity haunted house while wearing heart rate monitors.
But how does social context shape our experience of fear - emotionally and physiologically? To find out, we conducted a field study in collaboration with our good friends at Denmark’s scariest haunted attraction (DYSTOPIA Entertainment) ...
It’s curious that humans actively seek out fear for fun - and even more curious that we almost always do it together. We watch horror films in groups, visit haunted attractions with friends, and tell ghost stories around the campfire.
🧟♂️🚨 New Publication in Emotion
Thrilled to share our new paper: "Scared Together: Heart Rate Synchrony and Social Closeness in a High-Intensity Horror Setting"
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-…
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!
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!
We asked 1,600 parents of kids aged 1–17 what scares their kids - in a fun way. Climbing trees till their legs shake. Racing bikes downhill. Watching scary movies. Pretending to be monsters. Teasing older siblings. Playing with fire.
👉 93% enjoy at least one scary activity.
🚨 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! 📄link.springer.com/article/10…
👇🙏❤️
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
