Why We Love Big, Blood-Curdling Screams

Though a scream is unmistakeable, there's actually more nuance to these primal vocalizations than you might think.

By Frank T. McAndrew, The Conversation
Oct 28, 2019 10:12 PMNov 19, 2019 4:33 PM
Woman Scream
A scream evokes a response that few other sounds can. (Credit: GlebSStock/Shutterstock)

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Of all the sounds humans produce, nothing captures our attention quite like a good scream.

They’re a regular feature of horror films, whether it’s Marion Crane’s infamous shower scream in “Psycho” or Chrissie Watkins’ blood-curdling scream at the beginning of “Jaws.”

Screams might seem simple, but they can actually convey a complex set of emotions. The arsenal of human screams has been honed over millions of years of evolution, with subtle nuances in volume, timing and inflection that can signal different things.

Ancestral Cues

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