Swedish amusement park Liseberg is conducting a fear experiment with top scientists in order to enhance and improve its eerie experiences.
The park is looking for volunteers aged 18 and above for what it has named the ‘Peak Fear Experiment’, which takes place on 11 October at a secret location in Sweden.
The experiment is being conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Recreational Fear Lab, a research institute at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Liseberg‘s PR and communications director Mårten Westlund said the test will find “the sweet spot between fun and unpleasant”.
The Peak Fear Experiment
Liseberg has welcomed nearly two million visitors to its Halloween event since it launched in 2015.
“Frightening entertainment may have a range of positive psychological effects – it may actually be good for us to play with our fears by, for instance, watching scary movies or visiting haunted attractions,” said Mathias Clasen, co-director of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University.
“Such entertainment, it seems, can function as a kind of fear vaccine and build up resilience to stress and anxiety by practicing emotion regulation and expanding our limits.
“So, we’re very excited about this collaboration with Liseberg and about seeing how our research results may be used to optimize scary entertainment in the real world.”
Growing horror LBE trend
Volunteers for the Peak Fear Experiment can apply here. They will be selected by a jury of representatives from the Recreational Fear Lab and Liseberg. The park will cover travel and hotel expenses.
During the experiment, volunteers will be monitored by a team including physicians and psychologists. They will have a health examination before taking part.
“Through the Peak Fear Experiment we aim to deepen our knowledge of fear and horror so that in the future we can attract more people of all ages and customize frightening and entertaining experiences for everyone,” added Westlund.
Images courtesy of Liseberg
