![]() So I have a tendency to write about what worries me. It's the guy's hip breaking, and he goes down, and there's a lot of pain involved with that. ![]() There's a scene in one of the stories where an old man is walking along a a fence and examining his flowers, and the narrator hears a crack like a pistol shot almost. I have a book coming out next year, a book of short stories that are mostly new and a lot of them have to do with with people who are old, people with brittle bones. And the idea of losing that or losing my family terrifies me. And it's also what makes me enjoy in life, you know, everything from my imagination to reading books to going to movies to watch something that's streaming on TV. I'm afraid every time that I have to search for a word. So in honor of the haunted season, I'm going to explore the frightened brain with the king of horror himself, Stephen King.Īlzheimer's disease. So why do some people like me still have what is called a, quote, sensation seeking personality? That is a personality that craves stimulation and the dopamine rush that fear releases. Most days, we don't really need those innate survival instincts. All of that had a purpose and served our ancient ancestors well when they were trying to escape whatever was threatening them. Even your digestive system starts to slow down. Now, what happens in our body during that response? Our cortisol levels spike, our heart rate and our breathing accelerate. That prompts the release of hormones that trigger what you call a fight or flight response. It activates certain regions of the brain, including the amygdala and the hypothalamus. I know that fear is mostly viewed as a negative emotion, but I also know that it serves a purpose. ![]() I loved the rush of excitement from a jump scare in "The Exorcist," or getting goosebumps when I'm surprised by some terrifying twist. Growing up, I was usually first in line for the latest horror flick. You know, my love of all things, creepy started kind of early. Even as my girls have aged, our spooky forest is one thing that has never grown up. It comes complete with ghosts and goblins and whispering witches and cauldrons of smoking concoctions sprinkled with little scary surprises throughout. I spend weeks designing a spooky forest in my yard every year for my three daughters. I love the entire season, but I also love the ability for people to step outside themselves in costume. What you may know if you're a longtime listener of the show is that I love Halloween. The frightened brain, the scared brain, why some of us love feeling that way. First time I read a Stephen King book, I had a hard time sleeping for a week, which may make you ask, why would I do that? Well, we're going to discuss that a bit today. What I still think is most remarkable about Stephen King's books is his ability to make the ordinary parts of life so ordinary that even a little something out of place, a woodchipper in a basement, suddenly feels terrifying. I spent so many college summers totally immersed in his books, and I still feel a little scared just thinking about characters like Pennywise, who, by the way, is what my daughter is dressing up for Halloween this year. Stephen King has written some of my all time favorite books "The Stand," "It," "Misery." And you may not realize this, but he has been scaring readers now for nearly 50 years.
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