Prepping for the Apocalypse? Take a look at the unfinished $14.7 million bunker home on sale near Atlanta

Call it paranoia, flights of fancy or good old-fashioned preparedness, but in recent years more and more Americans have taken to stocking up on supplies, taking a second look at their home security, and keeping an eye on the horizon for any signs of an impending apocalypse. Some psychologists argue that our growing infatuation with the end of days has to do with a kind of freedom allotted to those fighting to survive; like the call of the wild, beckoning us from our lives full of credit scores and social obligations.

Others have a less academic, but perhaps more pragmatic explanation: it’s because things are getting pretty scary out there.

North Korea is simply the latest nation to join the once-exclusive nuclear club, and here within the United States, terror attacks and civil unrest have reignited old fears about riots in the streets and enemies attacking from within. Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, you’ve likely heard some like-minded friends pontificate about things like a “new revolution,” as though our political team-picking is meant for physical conflict rather than an ideological one. Even the most level-headed among us can occasionally get swept up in stories about Nazis fighting Communists in the town square, as though we’re supposed to choose a side in a battle between lunatics. Even as violent crime statistics remain at historic lows, high-profile incidents like the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year leave us feeling vulnerable to attack, worried about our loved ones, and longing for a bit of security.