by Matt McAnally

Every year, Americans spend $500 million on haunted house entry fees alone. But have you ever wondered why? Why would anyone want to scare themselves instead of avoiding it?

Whether it be in a haunted house or a scary movie, people will always willingly put themselves through this experience. One of the biggest reasons psychologists give for why we watch scary movies or pay for haunted houses is the excitement and mental stimulation we get when we experience them. Other reasons may consist of fantasy experiences, curiosity, social experiences, accomplishment, and protective frames.

Psychologists say that the anticipation and suspense leading up to the horrific events releases adrenaline in our brains, giving us a surge of energy, essentially terrifying our minds into activating our fight or flight reflexes. After the perceived threat is gone, our brain also releases dopamine, allowing us to relax once the scare is over. This can also help some to get over their fears, giving them a “cathartic feeling” where we find relief through an open expression of strong emotions. In one study, researchers found that “people who visited a high-intensity haunted house as a controlled fear experience displayed less brain activity in response to stimuli and less anxiety post-exposure”, supporting the fact that movies and haunted houses can help people overcome their fears.

Psychologists say that in order to enjoy a horror experience, the viewer needs to have a “protective frame”, or essentially the belief that we are safe and/ or distant from the events. One method of creating a safety frame is simply reminding ourselves that what we are seeing is simply acting and not real. Another method is found through controlled fear where we know that we can simply end the experience with a word or push of a button, giving us that feeling of safety or separation from the experience. A more simple example of a protective frame is just confidence. For example, if you are in a haunted house and think, “I can easily outrun that slow zombie!”, you are finding safety and comfort in confidence that you can overcome a threat.

Horror movies and haunted houses are a great way to bond with your friends, adding to the excitement you feel around others. The social experience of going through a haunted house can be thought of as a lesser version of the companionship of the survivors of a war or natural disaster, according to psychologists. 

These experiences are also great ways to live out your greatest zombie apocalypse fantasies in the most realistic way possible. Even with just a movie, people often feel like they get to experience their own apocalypse scenario.

Sometimes, people are simply curious about the darker side of the human mind. This is where movies like Saw and The Purge come into play, alongside documentaries covering the mind of a serial killer. People may simply be curious about the limits of the human mind and what it is really capable of.

People may also find a sense of accomplishment after watching a scary movie that everyone thought was too scary for them or going through a haunted house renowned for its terrifying scares. Psychologists say that this daring and adventurousness in people may be a significant reason that people want to put themselves through these experiences: bragging rights!

Looking at statistics has also revealed some interesting information about exactly who likes to be scared more. Looking at horror movies, it seems younger people usually enjoy them more. Men usually consume more horror movies than women as well, but it has also been found that they enjoy two different aspects of horror movies. Men may enjoy a horror film more if it has more horrifying aspects such as gore while women may enjoy a horror film more with a happy ending. Finance may also be a factor, as countries with more GDP per capita consumed more horror films while the same pattern was not observed for other genres like romance. Less financial resources may degrade the psychological protective barrier needed to enjoy horror content.

Sources: 

https://hbr.org/2021/10/the-psychology-behind-why-we-love-or-hate-horror

https://hauntingexperience.com/the-psychology-behind-horror-attractions/ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_psychology_of_scary_movies_and_haunted_houses