A comparison between funny and frightening

Author R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling authors of all time. His series of horror children's books with goosebumps has sold over 400 million copies.

But horror wasn't his first act. Stine spent the first two decades of his career writing children's joke books.

He found that it's easier to scare people than make them laugh.

“Everyone has a different sense of humour, but we all have the same fears,” he said. “Kids are all afraid of the dark, afraid of getting lost, afraid of coming to a new place. These fears will never change”

Everyone has different personalities and tastes, but emotions — especially fear and greed — are often universal.

Excerpted from Morgan Housel Feb 2023