New Researcher in the Lab: Armin Stefanović

Hello everyone. My name is Armin Stefanović. I am from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This year, I will work as a visiting researcher at the Recreational Fear Lab on a project that explores psychological differences between people who prefer supernatural and naturalistic horror.

My main research interests are supernatural stories, cultural theory, and connecting knowledge from the humanities to the social and natural sciences. I wrote my PhD thesis investigating the evolutionary and cognitive reasons for human interaction with supernatural stories. The main case study of my thesis was the Harry Potter universe. In the Recreational Fear Lab, I will explore the intersection between imaginary creatures and horror – that is, supernatural horror.

Horror and fantasy fiction have always been my favorite genres. Sadly, many literature departments still have reservations about studying these genres. This is why I was very excited to find out about the activities of the Recreational Fear Lab. The lab shows that rigorous science can be fun and that horror researchers are not that scary. In this interdisciplinary setting, I am curious to collaborate with researchers from other fields who bring different perspectives, ideas, and methods.

I was passionate about literature from an early age. As a child, I began writing fairy tales and poetry. In 2019, I won the regional prize for the first unpublished poetry volume, which led to its publication the next year. Apart from my interests in literature and film, I am into Vipassana meditation, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and chess. I like hiking and spending time in nature.