Adeela Asghar | Contributor
Featured image: I love you because you love watching scary movies. | Courtesy of Amber Avalona
When it comes to horror flicks, there’s a love-hate relationship often found between viewers and the medium—however, it could be more love than we may think. Willingly or not, we’ve all found ourselves engaged in scary movies. It’s more common during October, and despite hearing “it’s not as good as the original,” we continue to watch them. However, the question stands—why do we choose to engage in them?
When we are scared, our brains pump out the feel-good chemical dopamine. Dopamine is the same magical neurotransmitter that is released when we are infatuated with someone—our heart begins to race, along with increasing serotonin levels, combining to give us a euphoric feeling—one we all have an addiction to.
The second chemical at work here is serotonin, similar to dopamine, which is often present in high levels when we fall in love with someone. It gives us sensations of joy and increases our craving for more food and sleep—despite being scared sleepless.
When we watch scary movies with a significant other, it increases this feeling. We grow more intimate and passionate, and are in turn more attracted to this surge of emotions, which we attribute to our love interest, not the film.
Research shows that we often end up experiencing exhilaration from fear.
“Scary movies increase your epinephrine and norepinephrine when you’re watching with somebody else,” says Ahsan Al Lawati, a fourth-year Kinesiology and Health Science student. “However, I don’t think they’ll affect your relations with someone, unless they impact you psychologically to the point where you begin to act differently—perhaps, because of the fear.”
There have been studies on how horror movies also lead to the increase in one’s arousal level, due to this increase in dopamine and serotonin.
Maham Shaykh, a third-year Linguistics and Psychology student, says: “My arousal is often elevated after watching a horror movie, which I think is due to the sound effects and the effect of watching it alone or with a group of friends.”
This impacts performance throughout the day, as higher arousal levels will increase your alertness and consciousness in response to daily occurrences—otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response.
Plus, studies show that you do not have to watch scary movies in order to get this sensation, which can be found while performing any activity. When you are participating in one that is out of the ordinary, dopamine and serotonin levels increase, releasing a surge of euphoria.
We may enjoy terrifying situations because of the confidence that lingers once it’s over. When you engage in an activity that you consider exhilarating or frightening, it is highly common for your arousal level to also increase tremendously. In turn, this heightened arousal may cause your focus and passion to rise.
Third-year Business & Society student Maira Asghar adds: “Whenever I go out and watch movies—especially a scary one, which I would not watch alone—I often find myself thrilled and excited at the same time, as if a sudden rush of energy is flowing through my body. This helps me stay focused during the movie and enjoy it with friends.”
In times of stress, we crave closeness. It’s the anticipation and climax of a moment that keeps us wanting more—more thrill, intimacy, and adrenaline. We’ll do anything to chase this feeling, and if it can be found in scary movies, then, at the end of it all, it will be worth it.
