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Each week on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, explore different aspects of human behavior and the brain.

What Are We Really Learning From Scary Stories?

Photo credit: Tom Lin (Creative Commons)

The woman's portrait had hung in his parents bedroom was over 100 years old, but as Alex stared at it that morning he swore he saw a bloody tear drip from her ice blue eye down her pale face.

Tales of bloody tears, looming sharks, and possessed children can be terrifying — that's why we love them!

It's just one of the many things that make the human experience truly remarkable: We can tell stories and scare ourselves. Moreover, being scared can teach us how to overcome other things we fear day to day.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about why we like scary stories, and what we can learn about life from being "safely" frightened.

Rebecca McInroy is an award-winning show creator, host, and executive producer for KUT, KUTX, and KUT.ORG.
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