Fear is very much a part of humans’ survival. Demagogues and others who want to manipulate have learned that this human trait can be exploited, often with disastrous consequences.
Hysterical narratives promoting fear among some Americans may be more effective at sparking violence than hate speech is. Social media companies are expected to guard against both.
Mass shootings bring terror in ways that people watching from afar can only imagine. And yet, society at large is also affected, a trauma psychiatrist writes.
There are various techniques that can soften the fear factor of a scary film: from talking about it to providing facts that contextualise the plotline.
We love to be scared by creepy movies. But fear has other uses too. It can be used negatively by politicians to control us, but can also be a tool to harness internal change.
Visiting a haunted house or watching a horror movie can be terrifying and enjoyable at the same time. A sociologist explains the psychological benefits of being safely scared.
Revelations about the president’s behavior in a new book and an unsigned op-ed, writes a Yale psychiatrist, support what she and mental health specialists have warned: Trump is dangerously unstable.
After acts of violence, we want to make sense of what is right and wrong and where we stand in the world. But we must ensure our belief systems are periodically and systematically checked.
Our neural circuits lead us to find comfort in those like us and unease with those who differ, resulting in a battle between reward and distrust. But these brain connections aren’t the end of the story.
Positive emotions, such as passion, have an established foothold in airport books on great leadership and executive coaching seminars. However, overemphasising “positive” emotions can be problematic.
Even though they weren’t particularly interested in having sex, fear of ridicule and insecurities tugged at many of the young men the author spoke with.
Fairy tales can be brutal, violent, sexual and laden with taboo. But they are are excellent narratives with which to think through a range of human experiences: from disappointment, and fear to envy and grief.