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Articles on Fear

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A Pennywise clown cosplayer attends the Dia de Finados celebrations in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Carla Carniel/Reuters/Alamy

Why are we so scared of clowns? Here’s what we’ve discovered

Our research shows that coulrophobia, or fear of clowns, is mainly triggered by being unable to understand their facial expressions.
Trends in recreational or illicit drug use often make the jump to Halloween warnings. Malte Mueller/fstop via Getty Images

Rainbow fentanyl – the newest Halloween scare

Like clockwork, September crime news is often cast as an ominous sign of what could happen on Halloween.
Using social media increases our natural tendency to compare ourselves. How does this affect our well-being? (Shutterstock)

How social media can crush your self-esteem

Comparing ourselves to people who are worse off than we are on social media should make us feel better. The opposite is true.
Sensationalist coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic spreads fear and is unhelpful. Getty Images

South African front-page stories about COVID were sensationalist and unhelpful

The majority of front page reports were negative in tone, seeing very little possibility for individual agency and self-efficacy. This can amplify public anxiety and fear.
White supremacists clash with police in Charlottesville in 2017. Evan Nesterak/Wikipedia

Debate: A geopolitical reading of fear

Despite moments of hope, worries about the present and fears that the future may be even worse have been rising for decades. What can geopolitics teach us about the global impact of fear?

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