in_the_media
Fear is big bucks at Halloween
Posted Oct 21, 2011
Media Outlet:
CNBC
Whether you took in a screening of "Scream 4" this year, visited a haunted house this month or bought a zombie Halloween costume, you're a customer in the "business of fear." This is particularly true of people who have a "Type-T" or thrill-seeking personality. "These thrill-seekers thrive on the uncertainty associated with activities that most people would consider scary," says Frank Farley, a professor in Temple's College of Education. "The 'fear business' usually offers us a cocktail of thrills, excitement, intensity and challenge. It represents departures from the baselines of our lives."