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Media appearances 2021

Study suggests the paradoxical enjoyment of horror media serves an evolutionary function

Lab director Mathias Clasen talks to PsyPost  about his 2020 study on horror and personality, conducted with lab member Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen and lab collaborator John A. Johnson: "This study provides one piece of the puzzle, but there are many outstanding questions ... we're working on it!"


Why escapism benefits from a dose of pandemic reality

BBC Work article mentions results from the RFL.


Watching pandemic sci-fi films isn’t counterintuitive—it helps us cope

Vogue India cites lab director Mathias Clasen in an article about how watching ‘pandemic films’ helped us cope with the pandemic around us.


Why Horror Seduces with Mathias Clasen Ep.47

Lab director Mathias Clasen on The Square Round Table podcast.


Outreach Video for the Danish Science Festival

For the Danish Science Festival 2021, Aarhus University produced a short video featuring lab director Mathias Clasen about the lab's research on recreational fear. The video, which is in Danish, is available on YouTube.


Blood, gore and a healthy dose of catharsis: why horror can be good for us

The Guardian mentions RFL research in an article about the possible benefits of horror movies.


The sweet spot of fear

Ella Rhodes of The Psychologist covers “When Fear is Fun 2021” hosted by Recreational Fear Lab in Denmark


Getting scared for science with spooky phenomena

Lab director Mathias Clasen’s podcast appearance on Data Science Mixer’s Halloween Special


Fear not

Lab director Mathias Clasen’s article for Aeon Magazine.


BOO! The Science of Scary with Mathias Clasen & Heather Berlin

Lab director Mathias Clasen appears on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast StarTalk


Recreational Fear: Here We Are Podcast Ep. 357

Lab director Mathias Clasen on the Here We Are podcast.


What lies beneath our attraction to fear?

BBC Reel about the appeal of horror mentioning RFL research.


Scary Movies: Can They Actually Be Good for Anxiety?

Lab results mentioned in an article by PsyCom.net.


Why do we keep falling for jump scares?

RFL research mentioned in Popular Science article.