There’s something uniquely thrilling about scaring yourself. Whether it’s a haunted house, a horror movie, a short clip that ends in a jumpscare- sometimes it’s impossible to back away from the appeal of being scared. This is something that everyone accepts, but few question. What causes the human attraction to fear? According to a study from the American Psychological Association, voluntary participation in negative and fear inducing experiences can actually reduce stress and improve mood. The study found that in a group of adults attending a haunted attraction, many participants reported a better mood afterwards, especially those who were feeling stressed or tired before the attraction. This suggests that similar activities, such as watching something scary, can have the same positive effect.

The reason for this boost in mood is all linked back to how the brain reacts in situations of controlled fear (i.e. horror movies, haunted houses.) During the experience, your nervous system reacts and releases stress hormones such as adrenaline. This is similar to how you might react on a rollercoaster or during a workout. This is the body’s natural reaction to frightening situations, whether there’s a real threat or not. In a controlled situation where we know there’s no risk, the thrill of stress hormones can feel exhilarating. After the experience, our body releases the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, which provides pleasure- despite there being no real threat, our body still feels the relief of escaping it.

How we react to horror isn’t just based on our natural fear response, however. Although everyone reacts similarly to horror on a physical level, people tend to differentiate on whether or not they enjoy the genre. A common belief is that people with lower empathy enjoy horror more, whereas high-level empaths don’t. This is just a myth, however, as there’s been no correlation found between empathy levels and horror enjoyment. Instead, a main reason for this difference is sensation-seeking- this personality trait relates directly to somebody’s need for thrill or excitement. A study on APA PsycNet explains that people with stronger levels of sensation-seeking often enjoy horror experiences more, due to the exhilaration they produce.

In a poll run by The Harvester, we found that 30 out of 36 students reported enjoying horror experiences despite being easily scared by them. This makes sense, considering that previous studies have come to the same conclusion. Regardless of how easily scared you are, the dopamine reaction that comes from fear is an intriguing feeling- even those who don’t enjoy horror have the same response, despite having a different emotional reaction.

Whether you’re the type to seek out and enjoy horror or avoid it at all costs, the one thing that doesn’t change our brain’s reaction to it. Despite how some may feel about it, it’s undoubtedly certain that horror connects us all.