Hello everyone! My name is Aleksandra, and I have just started my PhD with the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University where for the next few years I’ll be exploring fear and, in particular, its relationship to anxiety.

Ever since I was a kid sneaking late-night horror movies, I’ve been hooked on the adrenaline rush of a good scare. What started as pure fun gradually turned into a burning academic curiosity: why do people willingly seek fear, and how can that experience actually benefit us? Discovering RFL felt like finding my academic home, because this is the one place where that exact question is explored with creativity, rigor, and a bit of spooky flair.

Before arriving in Aarhus, I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Scotland, where I dove deep into the science of fear. From studying how audiences respond to horror films to running experiments on emotion regulation, those years sharpened my fascination with the psychology of recreational fear and set the stage for my doctoral research.

My PhD project examines the therapeutic potential of recreational fear, with a special focus on whether and how horror experiences can help reduce anxiety. I’m particularly interested in bridging media studies and emotion-regulation research to understand not only what people feel when they watch horror, but how those feelings might strengthen coping skills.

To do this, I’ll combine lab-based experiments tracking physiological responses like heart-rate variability and skin conductance with field studies in naturalistic settings, such as the haunted-house attractions that RFL partners with. I’ll also use surveys and interviews to capture the nuanced ways horror fans prepare for, enjoy, and recover from scary experiences. Together, these methods will let me investigate things like: How voluntary fear differs from everyday anxiety at a biological and psychological level, whether repeated, controlled exposure to scary media can improve emotional resilience and stress management.

Ultimately, my goal is to provide solid empirical evidence on whether (and why) horror can mitigate anxiety, opening doors for its thoughtful use in clinical and everyday mental-health settings.

Outside the lab, you’ll probably find me watching classic horror films, testing new board or computer games, or hiking to recharge. I’m beyond excited to collaborate with everyone here, trade ideas, and swap scary-movie recommendations. Being part of a team that treats fear as both fun and scientifically fascinating is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what we discover together!