Featured Exhibition

Now through September 14

Does your heart race when you get scared? Do your knees shake? Do you start to sweat?

What triggers our deepest fears, and how do our brains and bodies cope with danger?

Find out when Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear visits Liberty Science Center. You’ll brave creepy animals, loud noises, electric shocks and the fear of falling, all in a safe environment that lets you explore the physical, emotional and neurological impacts of fear. Getting scared has never been so enlightening.

Explore online: Fear & the Brain | Fear in the Wild | Fear & the Media | Fun Side of Fear | Dealing with Fear

Here's what you'll experience at The Science of Fear:

Fear Challenge Course

Get your heart pumping and your palms sweaty as you face some common fears, such as the fear of animals, the fear of electric shock and the fear of falling.

Fear Lab

Meet Mr. Goose Bumps, a larger-than-life figure that uses playful animations to show how the brain and body work together to respond to danger. Interactive experiences help you delve deeper into the brain systems and pathways activated by fear, and graphic panels profile scientists doing cutting-edge emotion research.

Faces of Emotion

Explore the facial expressions of fear and other emotions, and interact with an experimental software program that tries to analyze and identify your facial expressions.

Fear in the Wild

Play the "Freeze Game," an immersive interactive video installation, and learn how animals survive in their natural environments.

Fear Theater

Catch a live demo focusing on the process of fear conditioning and learn how scientists measure the fear response in the lab. Then watch a brief documentary-style video about the interaction between our collective fears and entertainment, history and culture.

Coping with Fear

Explore the way that fears change over a lifetime and learn how to help children deal with their fears.

Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear was developed by the California Science Center and is supported in part by the Informal Science Education program of the National Science Foundation.