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Salem to WitchTok: How Fear Spreads in Digital America

clock13 min

From colonial witch trials to viral hexes, discover how fear creates real symptoms and spreads through communities. Drawing on Stacy Schiff's historical research, Andrew Huberman's neuroscience, and modern WitchTok trends, this episode reveals the psychological patterns connecting Salem 1692 to today's digital witch hunts.

Salem to WitchTok: How Fear Spreads in Digital America
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How This Personalized Podcast Was Made

This podcast was created using BeFreed’s AI, based on selected books, the creator’s learning goals, and their preferred tone.

Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?
link
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.769159
Dr. David Spiegel: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health & Performance
link
https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-david-spiegel-using-hypnosis-to-enhance-mental-and-physical-health-and-performance
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft
link
https://www.amazon.com/Salem-Possessed-Social-Origins-Witchcraft/dp/0674785266
We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads
link
https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_we_re_building_a_dystopia_just_to_make_people_click_on_ads
The Penguin Book of Witches
link
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306131/the-penguin-book-of-witches-by-edited-by-katherine-howe/
‘New Age’ beliefs common among both religious and nonreligious Americans
link
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/
Protean nature of mass sociogenic illness
link
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/protean-nature-of-mass-sociogenic-illness/2BDC2262E104B8A33F3DD49773DA0D8B
Erasing Fears & Traumas Based on the Modern Neuroscience of Fear
link
https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/erasing-fears-and-traumas-based-on-the-modern-neuroscience-of-fear
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23399570-a-storm-of-witchcraft
Witches cast 'mass spell' against Donald Trump
link
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39090334
Unobscured (Season 1)
link
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/unobscured/id1409481160
The Thing About Salem
link
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-thing-about-salem/id1812826945
The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England
link
https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Shape-Woman-Witchcraft-Colonial/dp/0393024784
Religious identity in the United States
link
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-religious-identity/
Mass psychogenic illness and the social network: is it changing the pattern of outbreaks?
link
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1258/jrsm.2012.120053
Mass Psychogenic Illness Attributed to Toxic Exposure at a High School
link
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm200001133420206
When online shaming spirals out of control
link
https://www.english-video.net/v/en/2302
Each month, thousands of witches cast a spell against Donald Trump
link
https://www.vox.com/2017/6/20/15830312/magicresistance-restance-witches-magic-spell-to-bind-donald-trump-mememagic
The Witches: Salem, 1692
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25012101-the-witches
Drawing Down the Moon
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12724
The Salem Witch Trials Podcast
link
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-salem-witch-trials-podcast/id1708277004
3 in 10 Americans consult astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers
link
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/05/21/3-in-10-americans-consult-astrology-tarot-cards-or-fortune-tellers/
Sleep Deprivation and False Memories
link
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797614534694
In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/105797.In_the_Devil_s_Snare
Modern Wisdom #422 — Dr Joe Henrich
link
https://modernwisdom.libsyn.com/episode-421
What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials
link
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happened-during-the-salem-witch-trials-brian-a-pavlac
Ergotism and the Salem witch panic: A critical analysis and an alternative conceptualization
link
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1520-6696%28198310%2919%3A4%3C358%3A%3AAID-JHBS2300190405%3E3.0.CO%3B2-G
Debunking the 'Moldy Bread' Theory
link
https://salemwitchmuseum.com/2023/05/17/debunking-the-moldy-bread-theory/
The price of shame
link
https://www.ted.com/speakers/monica_lewinsky
Trump's Presidency Has Spawned a New Generation of Witches
link
https://www.wired.com/story/trump-witches/
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Input question

How does fear spread through communities from Salem witch trials to today's digital world?

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"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
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likes117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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comments12
likes108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments254
likes17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
platform
comments96
likes4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
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comments201
thumbsUp16

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
comments37
likes483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
platform
comments12
likes117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
platform
comments12
likes108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments254
likes17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
platform
comments96
likes4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
platform
comments201
thumbsUp16

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
platform
starstarstarstarstar

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
comments37
likes483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
starstarstarstarstar
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