Just like a cinematic mist, the spooky season has rolled in and saturated our lives. It’s the season for going to haunted houses, donning fake blood, and listening to ghost stories. We actively go fear-seeking because there’s something about it that feels so good. So, if you ever get a craving for a good scary movie, there might be a reason for that: science proves that getting a good scare has some beneficial health benefits. Sure, watching a horror or thriller can be a real nail-biter, but it can also get our hearts racing. Here are five science-backed reasons why scary films can be good for us.
1. They Can Boost Your Immune System
Findings from a study published in Stress journal (Amsterdam, 2003) suggest that watching scary movies can temporarily strengthen our immune systems. Researchers took samples of subjects’ blood before and after watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time, and found that there were significant increases in peripheral circulating leukocytes and]the number of activated circulating leukocytes in response to the stressor. Leukocytes are a part of our body’s defense mechanism, hence the boost in immunity.
2. They Can Burn Calories
This might be the best way to work off (or justify) that Halloween candy — a study lead by Dr. Richard MacKenzie at the University of Westminster suggests that a 90-minute horror film can help you burn up to 113 calories, which is the same amount you’d burn on a 15-minute run or a 30-minute walk. Movies that feature jumpscares or suspenseful scenes can quicken our heart rates and burn calories along with it. The top-performing movies according to Dr. MacKenzie’s study? The Shining (184 calories), Jaws (161 calories) and The Exorcist (158 calories).
3. They Can Help You Deal with Other Fears
According to Mathias Clason, PhD during an interview with Vice, watching a horror film can help us deal with existing fears, phobias and anxieties. “Exposure to horror films can be gratifying when the negative emotions caused by the film are manageable. Moreover, there’s psychological distance when we watch a horror film. We know it’s not real — at least, some parts of our brain know it isn’t real.” There’s an element of voluntarily from the viewer, and even if the protagonist doesn’t make it out alive, you can relax knowing that you’re still alive, breathing and safe.
4. They Can Make You Feel Good
In both her TED Talk and book Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, researcher Margee Kerr suggests that watching a fearful flick can yield pleasurable results by flooding the nervous system temporarily with dopamine and adrenaline, which can lead to a mild euphoric sensation. Kerr also says that finishing the movie can leave us with a sense of accomplishment or achievement, adding another rush of pleasure.
5. They Can Lead to Physical Attraction
Choose your movie-watching mate wisely, you two may just end up falling in love. Ok — it might not work like that, but science has backed that horror can certainly act as an aphrodisiac. All of that dopamine and serotonin your brain releases can heighten feelings of arousal. “When we’re scared, our brains pump out the feel-good chemical dopamine, the same chemical we release when we’re infatuated with someone,” Michael Roizen, M.D. says. “Your heart races and you can become addicted to that feeling — as the euphoric serotonin hormone also shoots up.”
