THE
HAUNT Lab
Human Adaptation to Uncertainty & Threat
The HAUNT Lab studies the nature of fear in humans, including its computational architecture, how it impacts social life, and why we are sometimes interested in engaging with or learning about frightening phenomena.
Main Research Areas
The Computational Architecture of Fear
Despite being a frequent topic of investigation, the nature of fear is hotly debated. Informed by my evolutionary background and my work in the horror genre, I am developing a computational architecture of fear. My model proposes that external information about the environment is combined with information about an organism's internal state to produce two estimates: what a situation requires to be handled successfully, and what capabilities are currently available to handle it. The comparison between these two estimates yields a measure of situational vulnerability whereby higher vulnerability produces defensive behavior (e.g., freeze, fight, flight) and the conscious experience of fear. I am currently working on refining the tenets of the model for a theoretical paper.
The Psychological Nature of Scary Play
My work on scary play examines why humans voluntarily engage with fear in recreational contexts, such as horror films and haunted attractions, and how this impacts our psychological functioning and well-being. Some of my fieldwork at haunted attractions has identified a “sweet spot” for fear in a playful setting and has shown that this kind of play is associated with distinct psychological benefits. My work has also shown that those who engage in scary play sometimes exhibit higher levels of psychological resilience to stressful situations. Contrary to common wisdom, my research also shows that those who enjoy a good scare do not have lower levels of empathy or prosocial behavior. Current work in this research area looks at how scary play can serve as a simulated testing ground for better understanding how potential cooperative and romantic partners react under stress.
The Psychology of Morbid Curiosity
This line of research extends from my doctoral dissertation, in which I defined morbid curiosity and created and validated the Morbid Curiosity Scale as a way to measure trait levels of morbid curiosity. Stated simply, morbid curiosity refers the tendency to seek out information about potential danger. The degree to which someone is morbidly curious has been found to be a powerful predictor of their interest in frightening media such as true crime and horror. While most of the work has focused on media preferences, morbid curiosity has also been found to influence one’s interest in conspiracy theories and women’s interest in “bad boys” (i.e., men with high dark triad traits) as potential mates. Current directions for this research include measuring state levels of morbid curiosity and identifying how morbid curiosity relates to life satisfaction.
Psychopathy and the Facultative Threat-Management Model of Cognition
The newest branch of my research grew out of my findings on psychopathy and horror media. My work has shown that horror fans score normal on various measures of empathy, and yet they also score high in trait levels of psychopathy — with the notable exception of coldheartedness, in which they score lower than average. Evidence is also accumulating that empathy may not be as central to subclinical psychopathy as previously thought, and that psychopathy itself is poorly understood. Based on this, I am developing the Facultative Threat-Management Model of human cognition. This model proposes that perceived threat produces a temporary, coordinated shift in empathy, moral judgment, and social cognition in psychologically normal individuals that resembles what we call psychopathy. In other words, subclinical psychopathy may reflect the ability to don a mask of insanity rather than a mask of sanity. I am currently working on developing the theoretical tenets of the model and conducting pilot work to test predictions derived from it.