The Thrill Of Horror Movies & Rollercoasters: Why Do We Enjoy Being Scared?

Fear is probably one of the most negative emotions that we experience.
Yet, the horror movie industry is booming, people love the thrill of being scared, and rides in themeparks get higher and scarier all the time.
So why is it that some people actually enjoy being scared? (Spoiler: It's more than just the feeling of relief you might be thinking of!)

Feeling of Euphoria

When we're feeling scared - whether that's in a haunted house, a roller coaster, watching a horror movie, or an actually dangerous situation - our body's fight-or-flight-response is being triggered.
This means that a cocktail of different hormones is being released - adrenaline, endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, and more.
Our body is getting ready to face a dangerous threat, it prepares us by supplying us with a lot of energy, and shifts the attention away from pain.
This is actually a similar experience to a regular feeling of excitement, but the different lies in the context.
When we're in real danger, we would focus on the threat itself and probably not notice these euphoric feelings.
But if we know that we're in a safe environment, we can actually enjoy it. That's why people on rollercoasters often scream, and then burst out laughing right after.

Bonding

If we experience a scary situation together with someone else and we successfully go through it we share a bond with that person.
When we see our friends scream and laugh, the same areas in our brain are activated as if we laughed - so it not only intensifies our own experience, but also makes us feel more close to them.

Memories from experiences that triggered our fight-or-flight-system are being stored and remembered very well - so if it was a positive experience, we'll want to keep going back to that euphoric feeling again and again.

The Feeling Afterwards

Of course, like mentioned above, the feeling of relief afterwards is one of the best parts of a thrilling experience.
During a dangerous situation our heart rate and breathing increase, our muscles tense and we're getting ready to fight (or run away) - but afterwards, the sense of relief is actually stronger than the stress from before.
When people were interviewed after getting out of a haunted house, they mostly remembered the great feeling afterwards - and not so much the actual terror inside.

When we're watching a horror movie or riding a rollercoaster, our brains may know that we're actually safe - but our bodies don't.
So the danger feels real to us - and the feeling of relief and accomplishment feels real too.
It's a boost for our self-esteem, having completed a challenge and overcoming our fears!

Not everybody loves it, though...

Well, some people love the thrill more than others.
Scientists estimate that about 1/3 of the population actively seeks horror/thrill/being scared, while 1/3 actively avoids it and would never voluntarily get themselves in such a situation.
The rest of the people is just in between - they do enjoy thrill from time to time, but probably wouldn't actively look for it.
These differences in preference result from physical differences, and also explain while some people love the feeling of a loop in a rollercoaster, while others hate that and prefer the feeling of falling down and vice versa.

Are you someone that enjoys the thrill of getting scared?

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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