The Science of Scary with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mathias Clasen, & Heather Berlin
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Why do we like being scared? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the haunting effects of horror and recreational fear with horror scholar and author, Mathias Clasen, and neuroscientist, Heather Berlin, PhD.
What is recreational fear? We discuss why humans like to be scared and when it starts. Are there personality traits that cause people to like horror? We take a deep dive into how horror affects the body and the mind. Are there benefits to watching horror movies? Can horror movies worsen mental health? We discuss how being prepared for a zombie apocalypse has more than one benefit.
Can you be immune to getting scared? Or immune to laughter? Why do some people love horror and some people hate it? We break down why someone who spends their life in danger might still want to watch something that puts them in pretend danger. Have we run out of horror movie plots? Why aren’t horror movies about real things we fear? We discuss the jump scare, the cultural status of horror, and whether comedy enhances it. Chuck pitches us his horror movie “Night of the Living Overdue Mortgage Payment.” What’s Neil’s favorite horror movie of all time?
Next, Heather breaks down the neurological background of fear. Why do people seek fear out? Is there a therapeutic value? You’ll learn about the parasympathetic nervous system, the amygdala, and the origins of our fear response. Also, why are teens in horror movies so dumb? What is the difference between anxiety and fear? Find out why there are no guns in horror movies and The Little Albert Experiment. Can you classically condition someone to have an irrational fear? All that plus, find out what Neil is really afraid of.
Thanks to our Patrons Jessica Giancola, Jeff States, seth 06, Matthew Ritter, Kelvin Goliday, Kenny PK, and Kaya for supporting us this week.
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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12 minutes into this episode and the number of self-revelations I've had is off the charts. Only 43 minutes to go and I will be a new person.
Are you a fan of horror
@@averongodoffire8098 Yes
@@DraperJake
Lol, Go then my spooky child, revel in your horrific new self✋❤️🔥💀👹🤚
I also love horror but I'm not the type who can rattle off titles off the top of my head. I enjoy slashers, but my real favorites are the old gothic movies from the 30s to the 70s, and then 80s slashers. Black Sabbath is one title I can remember, maybe Mask of Satan, Twins of Evil, Lips of Blood (I think it's called?). I only discovered these in the last several years and they immediately resonated with me more than the mainstream films I'd always thought were the only things out there. The Kanopy app literally opened my eyes. They're not SCARY scary, but just beautifully haunting.
"and that's why I worship the devil"
"same"
That was WAY too casual XD
For real 🤣
Improv
Hail Satan 🤘
@@moonshoes11 Hail Satan
Yeah… he’s definitely not lying.
Neil and Chuck have and share magic... THANK YOU BOTH FOR REMOVING FEAR OF SCIENCE
scary, lol
Yay! Chuck always makes the show!
Exactly why is he there in the first place! :)
I watch horror movies more for the mystery. I'm not a fan of slasher films that much. Jump scares are cheap too. I mostly just like the creepiness and dread combined with weird stories and supernatural stuff
Same brotha! However I do not enjoy watching horror movies, or any movie at all, I watch documentaries. But if I watch a horror movie, it’s for the plot, and to just crackle at the horrible acting with most horror movies.
Scary Movie III
The Mothman Prophecies is such a good movie
X-files, Dr Who, Hannibal
I know what I'm going to watch to stay awake(I have to shift my body clock 12:00 hours)
Nearly all horror movies scare yet I watch em, the only movie that actually freaks me out is a.i 2001
exactly
Joke skit reference:
"Key & Peele - White Zombies"
I hadn't seen it before. It was funny, I had to send it to my friends.
I kinda like the "Extra Zombie" skit more tho. haha
Super, thanks for the reference. still laughing after watching it
Key & peele whit zombies
true
Thanks for the reference! Clutch. I showed my wife. We are a biracial couple, we laughed so damn hard
I've never been affected by horror movies, as if they were scary, or frightening, but I absolutely LOVE the genre. I think it's because of the aesthetic. I like the look of it all, so I watch this stuff over and over again.
I'm with you in the not being affected part. However, I find most horror movies boring. Or, my mind reacts to them as it would any other supernatural, superhuman, type movies.
Chuck and Mathias leaving Neil out of the 666 club was priceless!
Hail Satan 🤘
I am doing P.hD. in horror and I mailed this Mathias guy to help me little with horror in future, but he said he doesn't know how he can help.
The sketch is key and peele racist zombies. Dr Tyson and chuck I love your tastes in humor. Keep up the great work Chuck and Dr. Tyson! We all appreciate your hard work in coming up with these mind intriguing topics!
I love Halloween & horror & all things spooky…..but I’m very scared of heights & rollercoasters….I’m also pretty analytical minded & am fascinated with all things science 😀
I would agree. I'm more 'fascinated' with horror stories, and love falling down the rabbit hole without just getting jump-scared.
Similar. Horror/Suspense/Thriller/Crime Drama Movies aka "Recreational Fear", as well as dark comedy, Goth music/culture, Doom Metal, spooky pop culture, Ghost Towns and abandoned structures. BUT...heights? One amusement park I visited has a contraption where they hook you up on a long wire where you are suspended 50' up swinging by yourself horizontally facing forward back and forth 200' or so. WTF? LoL. Yeah, no. I'd probably have nightmares about that.
I was a believer, not only in god but all kind of esoteric and mysterious stuff, ghosts, demons, aliens on earth, philadelphia project, rosswell, big foot, name it. I gradually learned more and more in the attempt to debunk atheist, ultimatelly becaming one and undesrtanding not only how false all those things were, but also the psychological process that makes us want to believe. I just don't get scared by movies any more, only jump scares. Now I enjoy horror movies because I love science fiction and lore of those stories. So, I suppose knowledge removes the fear pretty well
I think I'm in the same boat. I embraced atheism only a year ago but after learning so much, I've found that horror movies really don't scare me. There actually quite fascinating. And now hearing them say how it can be beneficial to people with Anxiety Disorder, it's making we want to go back and watch all those horror movies that I stayed clear of as a youngster. I guess it has something to do with exposure techniques, which is meant to help us combat the very things we're afraid of.
I feel like Neil deGrasse Tyson reading Stephen King's The Shining would be just about the most scary audiobook ever...😱😱😱
cool idea. Had a elective in movie course in college and we had to review the mise en cene, etc. it looks at colors, i.e. red for blood, red door, red clock, red fire extinguisher or alarm. So, favor The Shining. Such a good movie.
he should definitely read the shining. that would be cool.
He has a wonderful voice and he's very animated. He'd do well with any voice over imo but he's just too famous for anime and stuff because part of what makes voiceover work is we typically don't know what the voice actor looks like, or thinks, we usually don'tknow anything about the voice actor and it makes the suspension of belief easier.
oh that'd be so hot ! gets me all riled up just thinkin about it
Cannot skip any episode where i can see/hear Dr Heather
I never understood the desire to go to horror movies or haunted houses... I'm with Chuck.
Have you ever seen any at the theater or been to a haunted house ?
To scare the girl to snuggle up and....
Monsters aren't real and the dead can't hurt you, but they can make you hurt yourself if your scared of them lol...
Its a very individual thing. I feel the way you do about action, adventure and comedy movies which I detest.
21:16 I feel the walking dead completely uprooted the "standard plot structure" by proving other humans are MUCH more terrifying and dangerous than any reanimated dead body.
Frankenstein when I was a child use to give me nightmares, but I've aged so much since the Black and White days of Television it no longer bothers me lol...
Not a fan of recreational fear. I am, however, a fan of Chuck's t- shirt.
Totally.
I don't get the whole horror movie addiction either. I kinda think it's a a way for sheltered young people and people with soft easy lives to imagine what fear feels like.
I've looked into this topic a lot myself, but this brings a ton of insight. I understand this theoretically, but I will never understand the joy of being scared personally
This is incredible I just randomly found this , and I'm happy that there is a wealth of videos on this channel . Woo science
15:05 this helps me with my anxiety. I've told people playing horror games actually makes me feel calm and none of us could understand why.
If there's a game that makes me feel calm and relaxed is Silent Hill, man I love those games!
That’s crazy cuz the whole point of those games is to keep you on edge and create a state of anxiety lol
I love Chuck he's hilarious!!!!!
''The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown'' - H.P. Lovecraft.
Hopefully they go over the distinction between dread and jumpscare fear, because those seem like very different things
Dread is more like awaiting fear isn’t it?
Jump scares are nothing but cheap startles. They take no creativity to achieve and have no lasting effect. They're what you get when you order fear from Wish.
Dread is the fear of fear itself. That's what makes it really powerful.
Heather Berlin did. A jump scare is a strong jolt to the amygdala. Fear goes there differently. Dread is the anticipation of the possibility of something worth fear.
@@okaydetar821 Dread is anxiety for myself.
An answer I would love the know is, what is the correlation between people who get scared of recreational fear and those who are religious.
People have religous fear forced on them, recreational fear is sought out.
Edit. And religous fear comes with the fear of being excluded by the group or attacked by the group for not believing which makes it real. People know recreation fear is not real
Good question, I suppose it depends on what religion they believe in, but if we're talking about the common monotheistic religions for example, their followers are probably more likely to take fantasy stories seriously*, & it could have a more lasting effect on them.
*because to them things like ghosts/spirits or demons/jins are real
@@aliy2432 Based on my experience, what you said seems to follow the same paths I have observed from people of different cultures and belief system, even my own family.
"science is true whether or not you believe in it"
Depends upon the Theory not the Truth, is light a particle or a Wave or a Particle and a Wave, three different camps, three different Truths...
This sentence is controversial. A scientifical theory changes as soon as the theory conflicts with what we observe. Can we still say "the science" was true?
Absolutely love horror in all shapes and forms, as well as science in all shapes and forms.
I reckon the attraction to horror is based on intellectual/emotional stimuli as well as chemical processes in the brain.
Emotionally, horror can reach places very deep in our psyches and the subconsciousness.
Her explanation on arachnophobia made sense. When I was very young, I was terrified of spiders. As I was growing up, pure fear kind of gave way to anger, and I would aggressively attack them. And then as I got older, I would get less and less angry seeing spiders. I still don't like them being really close to me, but now I just steer clear of any I see outside rather than running or squishing them.
I love these guys they can talk about anything and it'll be interesting.
Had a bad week with loss, so happy to have such an awesome distraction! Thank you!
God Bless you.
Talkin about zombie movies. Train to Busan from 2016 (Busanhaeng), a Korean horror movie. Quite good. Definitly worth a watch with subtitles, no dubbing not to loose the natural reverb of the voices. I give 7.5/10 (7.6 on IMDB)
So, I'm the exact opposite of Chuck. I can watch horror movies and series at night, alone, in a storm, huge TV, surround sound with extra bass for the jump scares and I love it. I can't get on a Rollercoaster, a bungee rope or parachute, etc. I'm also a lot like him as I'm funny (so I'm told) can't grow up, and have the capacity to learn astrophysics from Neil. Does that mean we share one chemical "imbalance" but not another?
This is fun story on the topic.
As a young child i saw The Ring, and it scared the soul out of me. All night I had nightmares of that girl dragging me down into the dark and drowning me. (And freaked out appropriately.)
That weekend my dad's friends were over, and at one point they told some jokes about me "crawling into bed with dad". Pretty toothless, but: he had told them, and I was mortified. So I did the logical thing... And resolved to never be scared again.
I started watching sci-fi channel religiously to catch old horror b-movies. Went to the horror section at Blockbuster, grabbed Amityville Horror and, several years later, had worked my way to Zombieland. I saw Hitchcock's work, Kubrick's, Cronenberg's monsters, Craven and all the slasher films, the 90's meta era, on and on. I read King, Poe, Lovecraft, and everything between I could think of. Retrospectively, it was all a bit mad I think, and ultimately never made me any more immune to fear... Yet, damned if I didnt come to LOVE horror movies. 😆 They're my absolute favorite, and how could they not be? All stemming from one viewing experience that scared the daylights out of me.
Horror movies can be a very powerful thing.
Dr. Tyson please get William Shatner and speak about his experience going to space. And your retrospect. Thanks.
I'd rather hear from someone who isn't a faker...I mean actor. Kinda like how they get actual astronauts on the show...just sayin'
And he can also talk about that trip he just took into orbit. But his days on the enterprise is way more interesting
After being in the military for 21 years, I do not like horror movies and don't want to watch that type of movie and have enough knowledge to not enjoy military movies. However, being ex Navy I do like well-made movies that follow the actual events as they unfold.
Did you not like horror movies before the military or was it after 21 years you saw enough bs that now u don't like horror movies now?
Go get checked for ptsd. God bless
Hey I would recommend the Stella ganglion shot it helped my PTSD alot and with emdr therapy supplementing this I have been able to watch horror movies with out the panic attacks, increased paranoia, the intense overwhelming anxiety. Hope this recommendation helps if you give this a try. Have a great day!
I have anxiety disorder and I love spooky movies. Especially really good ghost stories.
Never Talk to Strangers was a psychological thriller that stuck with me.
I don’t seek out horror movies, but ,this one had Antonio Banderas in it.
😂P
"Take two Freddie Krugger and call me in the morning." That racist zombie reference from Key and Peele is hilarious.
14:11 (regarding horror movies to treat anxiety) Can confirm. I suffered severe anxiety for decades. Forcing myself to get scared somehow made me eventually less scared. It desensitized me. Although I find more relief with true crime than horror, I use both. Anyway, it takes more to scare me nowadays.
To keep the answer short and simple: it’s to feel something.. anything 🙂
Supernatural horror and occult mystery are my favorites. Science and the forever unknown are the greatest spices of the mind.
I'm so glad they included Chuck's reaction to the Key and Peele sketch!!!😂
i can't help but admire the horror novels in Mathias' background!
The Omen scared me too- have stayed clear of scary movies but I do enjoy suspense
Heather Berlin is amazing
"Why make up horrible things when there is so much real terror in the world? Perhaps we invent artificial horrors to help us cope with the real ones." - Donald Pleasance (Terror in The Aisles, 1984)
As someone who grew up with social anxiety I can tell you I loved horror all my life. I can also say I've become almost totally inured to it at age 52.
The idea that watching horror is like rehearsing might explain why so many people are fascinated with true crime, as it gives us a blueprint for all of the various ways we might be murdered and how we can avoid it
On fire today Chuck!
The Racist Zombie bit legit makes Key & Peele America's Black Monty Python like duo.
Agreed
Brilliant topic. And a Brilliant show. All the best to you guys from the UK.
I watched "A Clockwork Orange". I still enjoy music. Thanks for that!
As far as I'm concerned, an excellent horror movie was Alien. Starring Sigourney Weaver. That movie freaked me out more than any of the slasher movies ever did.
Neil Degrass Tyson watches key and Peele if that's not the best news I've heard all day I don't know what is
Im very picky with horror, I only really like ones where theres no excessive gore / torture / mutilation and the "monster" is killable. I like it to be scary but also not a hopeless evil never dies type thing. Never a fan of having the monster / murderer win at the end however....if I wanted to see evil win out over good I would just turn on the news.
I really like the movies "Midsommar" and "The witch" (2015). Doing horror the right way.
Im the opposite. I like it when the movie ends with a feeling of horrible dread and despair. The Descent did this really well but they were forced to give an alternative "happier ending" for American audiences. The American ending ruins the movie totally and the producers should have refused.
“The Shining” is my favorite scary movie! I don’t like scary movies in general unless they are funny. Comedy has to be present for me to enjoy horror
true
like chucky
The exorcist. Great blend of gore, shock and physiological horror without reverting to pure plain jump scares.
Great topic
Love this love. Shout out for mentioning Key & Peele sketch, and also Peele's Get Out!
Perfect combination of horror, sci-fi, suspense and mystery = John Carpenter's The Thing. I always sorta hope youll talk about it! ;)
These guys admit to not enjoying horror movies. Still do an incredibly awesome show out of it. Love startalk!
That movie is the GOAT. I’m not a huge horror fan, yet The Thing is in my top 10 of movies in general, any genre.
@@itsd0nk true! It'd be awesome if they did a show on more movies like that!
When the original Dracula (1931) first came out, it had nurses on site and people were fainting during the movie. There is one single drop of blood, when Renfeld cuts his finger on his straight razor.
It's said that laughter is the second sound we learn/create - first is screaming/crying, which becomes stuttered laughter - the baby wants to react, but knows it's not actually upset. Thus...laughter!
Just what we need. Recreational fear.
Chuck's joke at the start is way too accurate, too much real horror to make up stuff
Exactly POC are already in a horror movie
Yeah it's true alot of hate too, you notice how comment sections or social media comment sections are rather toxic not even getting a point across just put each other down this instance of hate translates to real life where it's honestly not as bad internet cuz people on the internet hide behind the fact they are behind a screen, but in real life depending on where you live in the world there's worst things that happen irl then the worst slasher films :(
@@MovieJustin of their own design. lower average IQ and they now have political power. recipe for disaster
@@patrickderp1044 that was a fun but short game of “spot the racist”!
@@MovieJustin What monsters horrors befall a typical Chuck?
Fantastic episode!
I think watching a horror movie doesnt induce fear. Fear is a feeling that something bad is going to happen to you. The movie just brings excitement and not fear. Its just the visuals and suspense that is shown which gives you pleasure.
Wow, I'm a fan of this channel but this one especially blew my mind!
Fantastic discussion and so funny. Thank you. By the way, The Omen is my favorite horror story too.
This was really interesting!
Great show! Loved the guests and topic. Thanks!
I am not interested in horror movies. But I have to say, this guy's emotional control is way better than mine ever will be. I was unsure if watch this episode or not, but in the end I enjoyed it very much. It was very interesting, thank you!
I loved this episode! Such good fun!! 😃
"The Thing" is another good example of humor and horror coming in to play. Let's not forget "It" aswell. I think comedy is a strong companion for horror.
I can support Mathias’ claim re: anxiety and horror. My wife has some extreme anxiety conditions and she loves horror movies.
Hey Chuck, for what it's worth, that made ME bust out laughing, fell flat on them but that made me literally LOL.
11:30
🤣
I work at Universal Studios and we have Halloween Horror Nights going on right now. In previous years we'd sometimes average 40,000 people per night during HHN but the numbers are reduced now due to Covid. It gets crazy, lots of drunk people; fights; actors getting punched; people getting ejected from the park. I also perform as a Scare Actor but not at HHN, I performed at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and the Great Horror Camp out.
There is the matter of subjective discretion. Some people find driving very fast or extreme roller coasters frightening while others find them exhilarating. Lots of people found the movie "The Exorcist" or "Rosemary's Baby" frightening. I found them a bit silly and sometimes funny.
23:03 squid game.. was ALL about how everyone was in DEBT so i guess that can be a good horror premise.
lool:) spot on man
A whole lot of movies start with someone in “debt” which can be defined in many ways not just financial and not just movies but that is actually a big fear humans have developed
I'm about to head to work (waiter) but I can't wait to listen to this when I'm off.
Slowly introducing yourself to fear in a safe way is hugely beneficial for recognizing real danger and being able to still think your way through it. Like most things that we do, we do it for the increase in our survival chances
Really enjoyed this one. Listened twice. Very cool stuff about what makes people tick.
YOU GOT ME BINGING HORROR MOVIES THIS WEEKEND.
Thanks!
Yall my favorite show
I love horror movies especially Thais they make nice creative movies like Shutter and Coming Soon. I also play Resident Evil franchises. During pandemic, it was the most comforting time of my life. My work performance greatly improved. Now, it rings a bell.
horror action games, especially fps games, can really ramp up your awareness and reflex skills. there are zombie multiplayer games, where you have to watchout for enemies suddenly rising from the dead or sneaking up on you. the game requires you to aim, load, prepare equipment, use lighting, and use audio (to hear footsteps/breaking glass). imagine all of those factors put together in an open map with other players who may be hostile or friendly. there are several games like that, with jump scares, buildups, graphics/details on monsters, everything you'd expect from a scary movie but in the first person perspective of a player you can experience.
The best part was that piece of trivia about Bruce!
Great Show. Great dialogue and jokes
After freaking my self out for so many years and not being able to go near a mirror in the dark. I haven't been able to find a movie that dose it for me
It's interesting she says people who have some fear everyday whether it's Trauma or PTSD or something else, because I have Anxiety, Agoraphobia, a lot of trauma from abuse, among other things and though I'm scared of just about everything Horror is the thing I'm most passionate about and love, I may not be able to go to the store without being terrified and on high alert while shaking more than a rattle Snake, I love it for multiple reasons for one I grew up on Goosebumps, Scooby-Doo, Courage the Cowardly Dog and other Childrens horror shows, my Sisters would read me Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books when I was a kid and Monsters have just always fascinated me and I always thought they were really fun it also drew me into Folklore, Mythology, and other Religions that have Creatures just to see what sort of Fantasy horror people came up with and maybe even believed exist. But while Monsters are my favorite I love almost all subgenres.
Another reason though is in life you're not allowed to be afraid, it's seen as being cowardly and weak to be afraid, but Horror gives you an excuse to let out all that fear you have built up and it's okay because if anyone's around you they'll probably be scared too. I'm not the only one who feels this way either for anyone whose listened to Eli Roths History of Horror Podcast he says he's had Soldiers tell him they'll watch Hostel on their Military Base and it lets them be afraid because when they are out fighting they can't be afraid it could get them killed if they're but for that 90 minutes or so you can be as terrified as you'd like and it's acceptable. I could go on and on but this comment is basically a novel at this point.
Best answer ever given by a StarTalk guest: "I was hoping you wouldn't get back to that because I don't know."
Also, what's up with Chuck getting dressed up for the third segment, with Dr.Berlin?
He went from the StarTalk t-shirt to a golf shirt. Chuck, you Dog! Lolol
Horror films don't scare me but they also don't appeal to me. But I hate rollercoasters.
Heather Berlin brain and beauty.
Loved it. Thank you!
Horror movies ROCK, OUTSTANDING episode as anticipated
The omen for sure! 100% agree with you Neil.
which one though?
It’s a desensitising method, if I’m not scared or can approach scary things in life the way I do with horror films, I’m able to act rationally and with some sort of methodical-ness
Bingo! "Recreational Fear" & Roller Coasters seem compatible. Chuck describes my reaction to Horror.
I was only interested in watching horror, on t.v., because of my parents. I thought watching would mature me.
3rd segment reminded me how much horror, actually, comes from adults who are trusted to keep us safe. Humans scare me, now.
Next topic: Why are rich people getting even greedier?
I am from Austria but I would fly to America to have a steak with Neil immediately.
So much wisdom, so much understanding.
I am a teacher but all my collegues go crazy when I start.
I watched 13 Ghosts in the theater in 1960 (9 years old) and the mile walk home was terrifying. I walked in the middle of the suburban streets afraid of what was behind every single bush. Watched the same movie in 2018 on computer - a comedy.
Awesome shirt today Chuck!
My desire to watch or read horror or scary movies completely disappeared when I had children. The world is scary enough without adding to it. Give me comedy. And informative Podcasts.
I love horror movies, but I'm not so much into roller coasters or thrill rides.
But what I love is the psychological techniques that film makers use to scare you. For the record... I hate jump-scare movies. I find jump scares cheap and uninspired. But a good psychological scare without just pure reflex-jerking is greatly enjoyable to me.
Oh wow brilliant lot to learn in this 55 minutes