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Scream
Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear
Description
Shiver-inducing science not for the faint of heart.
No one studies fear quite like Margee Kerr. A sociologist who moonlights at one of America’s scariest and most popular haunted houses, she has seen grown men laugh, cry, and push their loved ones aside as they run away in terror. And she’s kept careful notes on what triggers these responses and why.
Fear is a universal human experience, but do we really understand it? If we’re so terrified of monsters and serial killers, why do we flock to the theaters to see them? Why do people avoid thinking about death, but jump out of planes and swim with sharks? For Kerr, there was only one way to find out.
In this eye-opening, adventurous book, she takes us on a tour of the world’s scariest experiences: into an abandoned prison long after dark, hanging by a cord from the highest tower in the Western hemisphere, and deep into Japan’s mysterious “suicide forest.” She even goes on a ghost hunt with a group of paranormal adventurers. Along the way, Kerr shows us the surprising science from the newest studies of fear — what it means, how it works, and what it can do for us. Full of entertaining science and the thrills of a good ghost story, this book will make you think, laugh — and scream.
No one studies fear quite like Margee Kerr. A sociologist who moonlights at one of America’s scariest and most popular haunted houses, she has seen grown men laugh, cry, and push their loved ones aside as they run away in terror. And she’s kept careful notes on what triggers these responses and why.
Fear is a universal human experience, but do we really understand it? If we’re so terrified of monsters and serial killers, why do we flock to the theaters to see them? Why do people avoid thinking about death, but jump out of planes and swim with sharks? For Kerr, there was only one way to find out.
In this eye-opening, adventurous book, she takes us on a tour of the world’s scariest experiences: into an abandoned prison long after dark, hanging by a cord from the highest tower in the Western hemisphere, and deep into Japan’s mysterious “suicide forest.” She even goes on a ghost hunt with a group of paranormal adventurers. Along the way, Kerr shows us the surprising science from the newest studies of fear — what it means, how it works, and what it can do for us. Full of entertaining science and the thrills of a good ghost story, this book will make you think, laugh — and scream.
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Praise
“Instead of sterile analyses, Scream is a science travelogue that gets up close and personal with the facts of freaking out. Kerr's journey through the world, and human body, to face down fear is exciting, informative, and scary good.” —Aaron Sagers, paranormal pop culture expert, journalist, and Travel Channel host
“A fascinating account of how fear works in our bodies and societies, and a window into the surprising benefits of confronting our worst nightmares.” —Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses
“A fascinating account of how fear works in our bodies and societies, and a window into the surprising benefits of confronting our worst nightmares.” —Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses