Learn about the scientific reasons why people either love or hate horror movies; the surprising way life expectancy affects population growth; and, where you can catch the Orionids meteor shower this weekend. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Here's the Scientific Reason Why Some People Love Horror Movies (and Others Hate Them) — https://curiosity.im/31WAznN Improving World Health Will Reduce Overpopulation, Not Make It Worse — https://curiosity.im/2ppd8VC How to Watch the Orionids Meteor Shower in 2019 — https://curiosity.im/2lvZ7nx Please nominate Curiosity Daily for Best Technology & Science Podcast in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards! It's free and only takes a minute. Thanks so much! https://awards.discoverpods.com/nominations/
Learn about the scientific reasons why people either love or hate horror movies; the surprising way life expectancy affects population growth; and, where you can catch the Orionids meteor shower this weekend.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Please nominate Curiosity Daily for Best Technology & Science Podcast in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards! It's free and only takes a minute. Thanks so much! https://awards.discoverpods.com/nominations/
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-people-love-or-hate-horror-movies-stopping-overpopulation-and-orionids-meteor-shower
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about the scientific reasons why people either love or hate horror movies. We’ll also answer a listener question about how life expectancy affects population growth. And, we’ll tell you where you can catch the Orionids meteor shower.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Here's the Scientific Reason Why Some People Love Horror Movies (and Others Hate Them) — https://curiosity.im/31WAznN (Cody)
There’s a scientific reason why some people love horror movies and others hate them. And with October in full swing, we thought we’d dig into the research. First, though, full disclosure: I have seen my share of horror movies, and I fully appreciate them… but they’re not really my “thing.” [ad lib about horror movies]
CODY: Alright, well first thing’s first: the same part of your brain gets all freaked out whether you’re being chased by a lion in real life or you’re just watching Freddy Krueger stalk someone. That sense of fear gets processed in your amygdala, and that’s the part of your brain that triggers your fight-or-flight response. That’s when your body starts pumping chemicals like adrenaline, cortisol, and epinephrine that speed up your heartbeat, bring up your blood pressure, and make your breathing more shallow. And for whatever reason, certain people seem to be wired to have a higher tolerance for anxiety and fear — as in, their fight-or-flight responses calm down faster than other peoples’. That means they have to find REALLY intense experiences to to get the same effect, like skydiving. So if we’re talking nature versus nurture, the “nature” part of why some people love horror movies comes from the possibility that they’re just “sensation seekers” who don’t really get as hot and bothered by the latest Nightmare on Elm Street movie. There’s plenty of “nurture” to blame too, though. Research suggests that men enjoy scary movies more than women, and that could be because they're socialized to be fearless and tough. Some life experiences can also have a huge effect on a person’s tolerance for terror; the amygdala can become more sensitive over time after trauma from things like neglect, poverty, and substance abuse. On the flip side, positive childhood experiences with fear can teach the brain that it’s fun to be scared. The things you do right after watching a scary movie can have an effect, too, because your body stays in a state of arousal afterward, and arousal heightens emotions. If you finish up the movie and have a great night with friends, then those positive feelings will nail down the experience as a good one that’ll make your brain want to do it again. But if you get mugged on the way home, your brain will see the experience as not so good. Associations are important. That’s why you can actually shift your tastes from horror hater to horror lover with some controlled exposure. If you can handle 90 minutes of fear, then you’ll feel more resilient, and that can actually make you BECOME more resilient — meaning, you’ll be less scared next time around. But parents, be careful with kids under 7; they have a tough time telling real threats from make-believe ones, so that’s a risky proposition. Intense reactions to fear are hard to undo, so do not push it. But if you’re listening and you want to push your limits, then go ahead! After all, it’s not like Michael Myers is real, right?
Listener question (Ashley)
ASHLEY: We got a listener question from Mohana, who writes “We have seen improvement in life expectancy of humans compared to last generation. This resulted in increase of population on Earth. So what can be the possible solution to control population on Earth?” I’m so glad you asked this question, Mohana, because I think it’s something a lot of people wonder.
This is counterintuitive, but it’s true: Improving life expectancy will actually reduce overpopulation. Hear me out. When you think about population over time, you have to consider not only how long people are living, but also how many children they’re having. It turns out that when the death rate is high, people have a lot more children. If you’re not sure all of your children will grow up to carry on the family name, much less help out with the family business and care for you when you’re old, you’re going to have a lot more kids to improve those odds. But when you have enough food to eat, good medical care, and the other things people need to live long, healthy lives, you don’t need to roll the dice. You can have your one, two, maybe three children and consider it good. That’s why as societies get richer and healthier, the growth rate of their populations kind of flatten out.
This isn’t just theoretical, either: In 1681, England and Wales was poverty stricken, with most people living just barely at subsistence level. The death rate was higher than the birth rate. But then the industrial revolution happened and the death rate dropped. People didn’t get the memo immediately, though, and kept having lots of kids right through the 1800s, when the birth rate hit its absolute peak. The population went from 6 million in 1750 to 30 million in 1901. Unsustainable, right? But that was when things slowed down. The birth rate finally dropped and population growth slowed to a reasonable level. The same thing has happened to a lot of industrialized countries, and it’s only the least developed countries where the population is skyrocketing — you know, the ones where food and medical care are scarce, and lots of children don’t make it to adulthood. That’s why it’s important to boost nutrition, medical care, and economic growth everywhere in the world. Improving human health is a net gain for everyone. Thanks for your question, Mohana! If you have a question, send it in to podcast at curiosity dot com.
How to Watch the Orionids Meteor Shower in 2019 — https://curiosity.im/2lvZ7nx (Cody)
If you’re into stargazing or need a shooting star to wish on, then get ready for the fabulous Orionids meteor shower coming right now to skies above you.
It happens every fall in October and it’s visible literally anywhere on Earth. You just have to go outside. This year, the best viewing window will be around October 22. (That's a Tuesday.) That said, the meteor shower lasts more than one night. It actually runs from October 2 to November 7, so you have plenty of chances to catch it. Meteor showers are always unpredictable, but at the peak, you should be able to see somewhere between 10 and 20 meteors per hour.
You can find the meteor shower by tracking down the constellation it’s named after: Orion the Hunter. The easiest way to that is to look for three bright stars in a short row; that's his belt. From there, find the stars that make up his sword; the bulk of the meteors will come from around there.
And that's it! You don't need any special gear to watch the shower. In fact, experts actually advise against using binoculars or telescopes. Those might magnify the sky, but they also limit your field of vision. At the end of the day, your good ol’ naked eye will do the trick a whole lot better.
Of course, you’re not really seeing shooting stars; you’re actually seeing debris from Halley's Comet, which zooms past Earth every 75 years or so. The Orionids shower happens when Earth orbits through a specific patch of this trail. These chunks of debris hit the Earth's atmosphere at an incredible speed — think 41 miles per second. These are TINY chunks, though — as in, some are as small as a grain of sand. And luckily for us stargazers, the result is a pretty nice feast for the eyes.
ASHLEY: Before we recap what we learned today, here’s a sneak peek at what you can catch this weekend on curiosity-dot-com. This weekend, you’ll learn about 4 words that can double your chances of getting what you want;
A new study that says Venus could have hosted life for billions of years;
An augmented reality illusion from the 1850s that we still use today;
Why the more you wish for self-control, the less you have;
Facebook-style algorithms that are hunting for dark matter;
And more!
CODY: Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
ASHLEY: Today we learned that people like horror movies for reasons that come from both nature and nurture;
CODY: And that improving life expectancy will actually REDUCE the world’s population, because people won’t have to have more kids just to hedge their bets that they’ll survive.
ASHLEY: And that you can catch the Orionids meteor shower up until November 7, 2019 — just look for the sword hanging off Orion’s belt, and remember to step outside on October 22 for peak viewing pleasure.
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Join us again Monday to learn something new in just a few minutes. And have a great weekend! I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Stay curious!