REWIND: The Science of Fear with Dr. Margee Kerr

2025-04-25

[This episode first ran on May 31, 2023.] Why do we like to be scared? What’s the difference in fear between a haunted house attraction and ghost hunters in a “real” haunted house? What is fearmongering, and the evolving fears of society? And what’s up with being afraid of clowns, aliens, Bigfoot, and even wide open spaces? Margee Kerr is a sociologist and author. She earned her PhD in 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches and conducts research on fear — specifically how and why people en...

[This episode first ran on May 31, 2023.]

Why do we like to be scared? What’s the difference in fear between a haunted house attraction and ghost hunters in a “real” haunted house? What is fearmongering, and the evolving fears of society? And what’s up with being afraid of clowns, aliens, Bigfoot, and even wide open spaces?

Margee Kerr is a sociologist and author. She earned her PhD in 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches and conducts research on fear — specifically how and why people engage in 'scary' experiences like haunted attractions, horror movies, and paranormal investigations. She enjoys working as a consultant for attractions and museums and is the author of SCREAM: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear named as a must-read by The Washington Post. And author of Ouch! Why Pain Hurts and Why It Doesn’t Have To. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Parade, Atlantic Monthly, and NPR’s Science Friday.

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The Talking Strange Show with Aaron Sagers is a weekly paranormal pop culture show featuring celebrity and author interviews, as well as experts in all things strange and unexplained. Talking Strange is a creation of Aaron Sagers with production help from Michael Ahr.

Host Aaron Sagers is a paranormal TV host and journalist who appears as host of 28 Days Haunted on Netflix, and on Paranormal Caught On Camera on Travel Channel, Discovery+, and MAX streaming service.

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