Big names like It, Saw, and The Last of Us prove over and over that many people love to be scared for entertainment.

This might raise the question, what makes creepy clowns, massive sharks, and brain-eating zombies such popular topics in the world of fiction?

In this video, we want to explore the psychology of horror and what draws people to being scared or terrified.

The rush

What do math finals, talking to a crush, and slender man have in common?

They're effective in inducing fear.

And even though these experiences may all be different, your body produces very similar reactions.

According to Medical News Today,

when you feel that you're in danger, your brain triggers a fight-or-flight response,

your pupils dilate, your heart beats faster, and your blood pressure increases.

These are evolutionary responses that help you stay alert when the body senses danger ahead.

By exposing you to scary images, horror movies and games have a way of making your mind believe that it's in danger,

which creates a rush of adrenaline and feelings of fear and excitement.

But of course, it's important that real danger is kept at bay, which brings us to safety net.

Imagine being a night guard at a family pizza restaurant.

Your shift starts from midnight to six AM.

Your job is to sit in a room and monitor four animatronics that come to life and roam around the restaurant.

You turn your eyes away from the camera for two seconds.

When suddenly the fox animatronic runs into your room and starts shrieking.

If this were to happen in real life, would this situation be exciting?

Probably not.

But of course, if you knew that this was just a game, you would know that it's safe even though the scenario is terrifying.

And this is the main difference between real and fake danger.

In his book, The Dangerous Edge, Psychologist Michael Apter explores how people find excitement from extreme activities.

He theorized that people raise their levels of excitement from risky activities by having just enough safety net to keep the activities from being lethal or fatal.

This is how people can enjoy roller coasters, bungee jumping or even horror movies.

The fact that the terror behind the screen isn't real creates a safety net for the viewer

while maximizing the level of excitement.

Age and gender

Who do you think would be more likely to enjoy horror movies or games?

Your teenage brother or your grandma?

Researchers, Classen and Johnson, attempted to answer this question in 2020.

They conducted an online survey among 1070 individuals

and asked them questions about their personality traits, gender, age, and their feelings about horror movies.

So, what did they find?

They found that people who enjoyed horror movies tended to have a vivid imagination, low neuroticism, and strong belief in the paranormal.

The researchers also noticed that males were more likely to enjoy horror movies than females.

Their study also showed that there was a negative correlation between the enjoyment of horror and age.

This means that if you're going to play a horror game,

make sure you play it with your teenage brother and not with your grandma.

The narrative

Have you ever enjoyed a scary movie or game, even if you typically don't enjoy horror?

What made it enjoyable?

Philosopher Noel Carroll believes that there's something far more significant than jump scares that draws people to the genre of horror.

In his book, The Philosophy of Horror,

Carroll argues that what ultimately draws people to horror more than anything else is curiosity.

With the right narrative, the horror genre is able to raise curiosity among the audience

and compel people to not only watch horror movies but even come up with their own theories about the story.

While horror might not be your favorite,

you might be surprised with the right movie or game that can play on your curiosity and draw you in with this fascinating story.

So how about a good horror film for your next movie night?

What about you?

Are you a big fan of horror?

What are your favorite horror movies or games?

If not, what makes you dislike the genre?

Tell us in the comments below.

And if you like this video, hit that like and subscribe button.

Thanks for watching.

Until next time. And remember, you matter.