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Why do thousands of Americans choose to watch horror movies and scare themselves when the body’s reaction to this experience is high levels of stress?
Studies show that after people watch horror movies, their emotions and actions can become more tense and they can seem much more stressed.
Horror movies are created to make their viewers feel certain emotions such as stress, anxiety, nervousness, etc.
“I think [horror movies] are awesome,” said freshman Summer Johnson, “It’s fun to be scared.”
Some people who watch these scary films enjoy feeling these intense emotions and watch just for the thrill. Others may not feel the same.
Because the brain has its natural instinct to reject these emotions, some viewers have a hard time sitting through all of the show, while others don’t.
The brain sends strong emotions like fear and anger to the amygdala, which stimulates the hypothalamus. The adrenal glands then cause the body to create hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Increased heart rate, heavy breathing, and sweating might occur once these hormones enter the bloodstream.
In other words, horror movies can really freak people out. If they do scare people, then why do some individuals still enjoy watching them?
“Because we don’t encounter real-life threats as often as ancient humans, going to horror films can be a novel experience that lets us put our innate threat detection system to use,” verywellmind.com said.
Because watching a horror movie involves sitting in a theater or safe on your couch at home with some buttery popcorn, people are able to have an entertaining experience rather than a life threatening ordeal.
“[Horror movies] are a lot better than other movies because of the action,” said freshman Riley Nielson.
For some individuals, though, the experience is not so entertaining.
“Although adrenaline contributes to the overall experience of the movie, the elevated states can make it harder to sleep… The horror on the screen can trigger nightmares, which are proven to disrupt REM (deep sleep),” healthline.com said.
Because horror movies can affect sleep, people who are affected may not want to watch shows like them again.
“I have often had night terrors,” said sophomore Eliza Kasperson.
Horror films don’t only affect sleep, though. As stated previously, horror movies are made to create anxiety and stress in people’s minds.
“When I watch horror movies…it makes me feel bad, and I don’t like that,” said freshman Ellie Finlinson.
The brain doesn’t hate these emotions, but it prefers not to have too much of any of them. For people who are sensitive to emotions like these, horror movies are normally not a good choice.
“Those that suffer from anxiety sensitivity are more likely to experience a negative impact from watching horror films. The tendency to fear intrusive thoughts and images may be triggered and increase levels of anxiety or panic,” healthline.com said.
