Isolation
What are liminal spaces and why are they scary to some people?
A liminal space is a place or state of transition that can be physical or psychological.
A physical liminal space is a transitional space between one destination and the next, such as a hallway, airport, or street.
Liminal spaces are known for evoking feelings of eeriness, discomfort, and ambiguity. These spaces can be considered scary because they are places of transition, waiting, and not knowing which can elicit a lot of fear in people.
They can also be destabilizing, making it difficult to channel energy towards the next step. For example, they can be:
Define a Phobia
An extreme, often debilitating, irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
True or False:
Monsters (creatures from mythological stories and cultures) can manifest from deep-seated fears.
True - Monsters can serve as cautionary figures, warning against certain behaviors or societal transgressions. They often represent the consequences of violating moral or natural laws, thus reinforcing societal norms and values.
Concerning the clip: Godzilla has a significant connection to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Why does your mouth get dry when you're scared?
A. Your brain focuses on survival instead of making saliva.
B. The fear response redirects saliva to help cool down your body.
C. Your body releases extra water into your bloodstream, reducing saliva production.
D. Fear causes your digestive system to temporarily stop working, including salivation.
A. Your brain focuses on survival instead of making saliva.
What effect does a jump scare have on pupil size?
A) Pupils constrict
B) Pupils remain unchanged
C) Pupils dilate
D) Pupils blink rapidly
c) Pupils dilate
Define Autophobia/Monophobia.
These are defined as the fear of isolation or being alone (loneliness).
The neuroscience behind isolation involves changes in the brain's regions that regulate motivation, stress, and social information.
Horror movies often use remote locations (such as liminal spaces) to represent physical isolation, and characters might be cut off from receiving help to represent their social and emotional isolation.
What are some of the most common phobias?
Five of the most common phobias include arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes), glossophobia (the fear of public speaking), acrophobia (the fear of heights), and social phobia (the fear of social interactions).
Why did the producers give the bear the ability to mimic its victims?
A) To help the audience sympathize with it
B) To help lessen the tension for the characters
C) To evoke a strong emotional response from both the characters and the audience
Correct Answer: C
False statements:
A (The behavior highlights the bear’s predatory and dangerous nature, reinforcing its role as a threat rather than a misunderstood creature.)
B (The characters can’t be sure if they’re hearing a real person in distress or the bear, increasing their anxiety and overall tension.)
True or False:
Your brain's fear response can't tell the difference between real and movie danger.
True - it responds similarly to both!
True or False!
The hippocampus is responsible for storing memories of jump scares, making you remember similar threats
True!
T or F: Psychological liminal spaces can be an opportunity for moral transformation.
True.
Psychological liminal spaces are mental states that can occur during transitional periods in life, such as adolescence, a breakup, or starting a new job. They can be a time when you feel "in-between" an old version of yourself and who you're becoming.
What parts of the brain are involved in phobias?
Amygdala - responsible for the fear response, fight-or-flight, which becomes overactive in the presence of a phobic stimulus
Prefrontal Cortex - responsible for emotional processing, becomes inhibited when in the presence of a phobic stimulus and cannot regulate the amygdala's fear response
Hippocampus - responsible for memory. Links phobia to negative emotions, reinforcing it.
Society judges Frankenstein's creation before the creature has time to act and call him a monster. Why is that?
(You do not need to watch the full movie to answer this question)
Correct Answer:
Humans have a tendency to judge others based on physical appearance, a phenomenon known as lookism.
This bias can lead to discrimination against those who deviate from societal standards of beauty. Frankenstein’s creature, with his grotesque and unnatural appearance, triggers this bias, leading to immediate rejection and fear.
Which part of the brain was NOT regulating emotional responses (like fear) while watching that clip?
A) Amygdala
B) Broca's Area
C) Hypothalamus
D) Prefrontal Cortex
B) Broca's Area
What part of the brain activates almost immediately while watching that clip?
a) Prefrontal Cortex
b) Amygdala
c) Hippocampus
d) Cerebrum
b) Amygdala
What part(s) of the brain are affected when experiencing a liminal space?
Hippocampus, parietal lobe, and amygdala.
When experiencing a liminal space, the brain regions most likely affected are those related to spatial orientation (hippocampus), context processing (parietal lobe), and emotional regulation (amygdala).
As these areas work together to interpret the confusing and ambiguous visual cues of a transitional space, leading to feelings of unease or disorientation.
How do phobias develop?
Genetic Predisposition: Some people may be genetically more prone to anxiety and fear, making them more susceptible to developing phobias.
Negative Experiences: A traumatic or frightening experience related to the feared object or situation can trigger a phobia.
Observational Learning: Witnessing someone else's fear response or hearing about a negative experience can lead to the development of a phobia.
Classical Conditioning: This is a type of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a negative experience, leading to a fear response
Based on the clip, how is the music an example of fear conditioning?
Correct Answer:
The audience begins to associate the music with the fear of a shark attack, heightening the suspense and terror throughout the film
Breakdown: The two-note sound initially has no apparent meaning outside the clip, but it becomes a signal that a shark attack will happen.
What happened in the brain while you watched the suspenseful clip?
A) The amygdala was activated, triggering fear and emotional responses.
B) The occipital lobe released adrenaline, causing increased heart rate.
C) The cerebellum processed fear and heightened emotional awareness.
Correct answer: A
False statements:
B (the occipital lobe processes visual information, not adrenaline release),
C (the cerebellum is involved in motor control, not emotional awareness),
What happened in the brain while you watched the clip?
a) The sudden stimulus is quickly detected by your thalamus, which acts as a relay station for sensory information. It sends the signal to both the amygdala and the visual and auditory cortices which engages the fight or flight response.
b) The brain shuts down completely during a jump scare to protect against fear
c) The visual signal is sent from the retina to the occipital lobe, which controls our fear response.
a) The sudden stimulus is quickly detected by your thalamus, which acts as a relay station for sensory information. It sends the signal to both the amygdala and the visual and auditory cortices which engages the fight or flight response.
Compared to reality, how do liminal spaces trick our brains with our sense of expectations?
Our expectations of what things should be like are not matching the reality of what things are. This causes an unsettling sense of being "out of place" and our brain is not understanding the gap between what is expected and our understanding of the world and our perception.
What are some treatment options for phobias?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This therapy helps you identify and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs associated with your phobia.
Exposure Therapy: This therapy involves gradually exposing you to the feared stimulus in a controlled and safe environment. This helps you build tolerance and reduce your fear response over time.
Medication
What part of the brain is responsible for registering whether the Shining Twins are normal?
A) Brainstem
B) Parietal lobe
C) Medulla Oblongata
D) Prefrontal cortex
Correct Answer: D
False Statement:
A (The brainstem controls basic life functions such as breathing, heart rate, and sleep cycles. It doesn’t play a role in higher cognitive functions like understanding societal norms)
B (The parietal lobe processes sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain. It also helps with spatial orientation and movement coordination, but it isn’t involved in understanding societal norms)
C (This part of the brain, located in the brainstem, is involved in regulating vital functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Like the brainstem, it doesn’t handle complex social behaviors or norms)
What was your body's physiological reaction in response to the suspenseful movie clip?
A) Your body experienced an increase in heart rate due to activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
B) Your digestive system accelerated to prepare for immediate energy needs.
C) Your skin temperature decreased as blood flow was redirected away from the skin.
D) Your pupils dilated to improve vision in low light conditions.
Correct answer: A
False statements:
B (the digestive system typically slows down during fear),
C (skin temperature often increases due to arousal),
D (pupil dilation is correct, but the skin temperature decrease is misleading; it can be more complex, but generally, sympathetic activation can cause blood flow to the skin to decrease).
What physiological reaction was NOT occurring in response to the clip?
a) Surge of Adrenaline (released from adrenal glands)
b) Suppressed Digestion
c) Sharpened Reflexes (body can react quickly)
d) Blood Pressure Drops
d) Blood Pressure Drops