Why Do Some People Like Horror Movies?

Where does the pleasure that humans feel when watching horror movies come from? In the words of the famous researcher and psychologist Arthur Westermayr, “since the dawn of human thought, fear has always been looked upon with contempt”. If this statement is true, why do many people like it instead?

Perhaps there is no single, one hundred percent true answer to the pleasure many people experience when they experience this sensation. However, today we want to try to go deeper into the question and find the roots of this particular emotion, in general the enemy of man but, at times, sought after by the way. Are you ready? Let’s begin!

The pleasure of fear under control

First of all we report the testimony of sociologist Margee Kerr, who works permanently on a carousel called the House of Terror in Pittsburgh, United States. According to her, the secret to the pleasure of fear lies in control.

What does Kerr mean when he speaks of “control”? The answer is simple. When the human brain feels a sensation of fear in an environment that does not actually constitute a real danger, the physiological reaction can be really funny, and it is from this contrast that the pleasure we feel in such situations arises.

Kerr adds that to all this is added the fact that overcoming a situation that has been a great stress for our brain causes us a very positive feeling and an enviable increase in self-esteem. A cocktail that allows our brain to have fun in situations that, a priori, should be perceived as negative.

What is fear actually?

Do we really know what fear is? The commonly accepted psychological current explains it as different emotions linked to a psychological process that warn us of possible dangers, stress or very negative situations.

In reality, these are systems that are activated at a physiological and behavioral level after quickly evaluating a specific situation as threatening. After the first look, our brain is already aware of the kind of fear it has awakened in us.

If our brain understands that the kind of fear we are experiencing comes from a situation under control, fear can be pleasant. This is the case with a horror movie, a carousel in an amusement park, a Halloween party, etc.

However, if our brain identifies a fear related to a situation that we do not have under control, such as the death of a loved one, a robbery, etc., we certainly will not experience any kind of pleasure and a deep and out of control terror can take over. of our mind and body.

The conditioned fear

Is it possible to condition a person to make them feel a specific fear? According to the “Conditioned Emotional Reactions” experiment carried out by Rosalie Rayner and John Watson in 1920, yes.

In this experiment, the researchers created a phobia in a nine-month-old baby, and then published a study in which they described step by step the whole process of conditioning fear. Of course this is an experiment that would not be allowed today, because no one has the right to influence this emotion in another person, least of all in a minor.

From this research, however, we can conclude that our brains can be conditioned to feel a feeling of fear in the face of a stimulus that they perceive as an anticipation of a threatening situation. This fear, as we said earlier, can be extraordinarily rewarding for many people when it is felt in a controlled situation.

Psychological reactions to fear

Positive or negative reactions to fear can be understood from the psychological reactions that occur in our brain. Depending on the stimuli we receive, we will be able to interpret and understand this emotion.

Within our limbic system, at the bottom of our temporal lobule, is the amygdala. This subcortical structure is in charge of determining whether what we are experiencing is a “pleasant fear” or a “real fear”.

Faced with a situation that triggers this emotion, we can react in different ways. Sometimes we want to run, attack, escape… One way or another, our body will react by releasing adrenaline and increasing the level of cortisol and blood sugar.

But is this strong discharge in our body positive? In truth, if we are in a controlled environment and our mind is one hundred percent sure that there is no real danger, it will give the body a strong sensation of pleasure, and we can enjoy this sensation by consuming the released substances. without the interference of any real threat.

And so, now you know. If everything is under control, the pleasure of fear can be one more tool to improve your mood. A small gift for your brain, which can enjoy a banquet of substances that it adores, without anything disturbing it. Of course, only if a ghost doesn’t really come!