Some people like to scare themselves in an already scary world – here's why

As an adolescent, falling meant football games, prom dresses – and haunted houses. My friends organized group trips to the local fair, where barn sheds were transformed into halls of horror and masked men with (chainless) chainsaws picked at our ankles as we waited in line, expecting even worse horrors to return our way we were inside.

I'm not the just one who loves a very good scare. Halloween Attraction Companies America persecuted It is estimated that Americans spend greater than $500 million annually on entry fees to haunted houses only for the privilege of being scared. And many horror fans don't limit their horror entertainment to the spooky season and devour horror movies, shows and books all 12 months round.

For some people, this preoccupation with horror can seem tone-deaf. School shootings, child abuse, war – the list of real-world horrors is countless. Why seek artificial fear for entertainment when the world offers real terror in such abundance?

As a developmental psychologist who also writes dark thrillers, I find the intersection between psychology and fear fascinating. To explain what triggers this fascination with fear, I seek advice from the idea that emotions emerged as a universal experience in humans because they assist us survive. Creating fear in an otherwise protected life will be fun – and is a way for people to practice and prepare for real-life dangers.

Fear can feel good

Controlled fear experiences—where you’ll be able to click your distant, close the book, or leave the haunted house at any time—provide the physiological rush that fear produces with none real risk.

When you are feeling threatened, the adrenaline levels in your body rise The evolutionary fight-or-flight response is activated. Your heart rate increases, you breathe deeper and faster, and your blood pressure rises. Your body is preparing to defend yourself against danger or to get away from it as quickly as possible.

This physical response is crucial when faced with an actual threat. When you experience controlled fear – like jump scares on a zombie TV show – you’ll be able to enjoy that energetic feeling, just like a runner's high, without risk. And once the threat is handled, Your body releases the neurotransmitter dopaminethat gives a sense of delight and relief.

In a studyResearchers found that folks who visited a high-intensity haunted house as a controlled fear experience showed less brain activity in response to stimuli and fewer anxiety after exposure. This finding suggests that exposing yourself to horror movies, scary stories, or exciting video games can actually calm you down afterward. The effect may also explain why my husband and I determine to loosen up by watching zombie shows after a tough day at work.

The ties that connect

An essential motivation for humans is the sense of Belonging to a social group. According to the Surgeon General, Americans who miss these connections are left with embarrassment an epidemic of lonelinessputting people in danger for mental and physical health problems.

Go through Intense shared fear experiences strengthen bonds between individuals. Good examples are: Veterans who served together in combatSurvivors of natural disasters and the “families” formed in groups of first responders.

I’m a volunteer firefighter and the unique connection that comes from sharing intense threats, equivalent to entering a burning constructing together, manifests itself in deep emotional bonds with my colleagues. After a significant fire operation, we frequently notice improved morale and camaraderie in the fireplace department. Every time I believe of my firefighting partners, I feel a flood of positive emotions, even when the events happened months or years ago.

Controlled fear experiences artificially create similar bonding opportunities. Not only does stress trigger the fight-or-flight response, but in lots of situations it also triggers what psychologists call “fight or flight.”“Tilt and befriend” system. A perceived threat causes people to take care of offspring and form social-emotional bonds for defense and luxury. This system is essentially regulated by the so-called “love hormone” oxytocin.

The lean-and-befriend response is especially likely when you’re under stress coping with others with whom you’ve already developed good social relationships. When you encounter stressors in your social network, your oxytocin levels increase to initiate social coping strategies. So while you tackle a recreational fright experience like a haunted house with friends, you're laying the emotional foundation to feel connected to the people around you.

Sitting at nighttime with friends while watching a scary movie or navigating an enchanted corn maze with a date is nice in your health since it helps increase social connections.

An ounce of prevention = a pound of cure

Controlled fear experiences will also be a way for you to arrange for the worst. Think concerning the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the movies “infection” And “outbreak” trending on streaming platforms as people all over the world sought shelter at home. By watching threat scenarios play out in a controlled manner within the media, you’ll be able to learn more about your fears and emotionally prepare yourself for future threats.

For example, researchers at Aarhus University Leisure Anxiety Laboratory A study in Denmark has shown that folks who recurrently Horror media consumed was more psychologically resilient throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as non-horror fans. The scientists suspect that this resilience would be the results of some sort of training that these fans underwent – practicing find out how to cope with the fear and anxiety that their preferred type of entertainment evoked. As a result, they were higher prepared to cope with the true fear attributable to the pandemic.

When I'm not teaching, I'm an avid reader of crime novels. I also write psychological thrillers under the pseudonym Sarah K. Stephens. As a reader and author, I notice similar themes within the books I'm drawn to, all tied to my very own deep-rooted fears: moms who in some way abandon their children, women who’re manipulated into submissiveness, many misogynistic antagonists.

I enjoy writing and reading about my fears—and seeing the bad guys get their just rewards in the long run—since it gives me the chance to regulate the story. Consuming these narratives allows me to mentally rehearse how I’d cope with such circumstances in the event that they manifested themselves in my real life.

Survive and thrive

In controlled fear experiences, scaring yourself is an important technique for surviving and adapting in a daunting world. By evoking strong, positive emotions, strengthening social networks, and preparing you in your worst fears, you might be higher in a position to enjoy every day to the fullest.

So next time you're selecting between a light-hearted comedy and a scary thriller in your movie night, select the dark side – it's good in your health.