The science of fear: Why do people like being scared?

The numbers don’t lie: horror is a popular genre no matter what time of year it is.

In September 2019, “It Chapter Two” (based on Stephen King’s famous book about a town terrorized by a demon) grossed $473 million at the box office, according to ScreenRant. In March of the same year, “Us” (about a family who must fight off their evil doppelgangers) earned $255.1 million in theaters.

Horror lovers are a devoted crowd, too. According to a 2018 article from Variety, 44% of paranormal horror fans and 56% of scifi horror fans go to the movies more than 12 times a year, while on average, horror enthusiasts spend more at the box office each month even though their average admission per visit is less.

The horror genre craze goes beyond movies. Bookstores and libraries feature shelves full of scary stories. Every Halloween, people line up for live haunted attractions such as Fear Factory in Salt Lake City and Castle of Chaos in Midvale.

It all begs the question: Why do so many people enjoy being scared?

Multiple reasons for seeking fear

If you ask Kevin John, it’s difficult to pin down a single reason that people seek out terrifying experiences.

John is the Director of the BioComms Lab at Brigham Young University, which uses physiology to study media consumption patterns. For instance, he said techniques like eye tracking and facial recognition can help researchers recognize what a person may be feeling but not verbalizing.

The BioComms Lab has done several small studies on fear, John said, including one he’s currently working on with another faculty member about why people consume horror-based media.

So far, he said, they’re finding that some people enjoy the thrill of violence while some like the sense of mystery. Others enjoy the relief that comes when the story is over, he said.

Shane Bench, a social psychologist and an assistant professor at Utah State University, agreed there’s not one definite reason that people enjoy scary experiences.

Bench said his research specializes in the function of negative emotions, including why these emotions exist and if they’re ever beneficial.

One reason people might enjoy negative emotions such as fear, he said, is that they provide a high arousal experience, such as an elevated heart rate.

“Physiologically, [fear] activates the body, which at times can be a desirable experience,” he said.

Another reason Bench said people might seek out negative emotions is for the novelty of them. For instance, someone who’s bored — particularly someone who’s bored of being in a positive state — is more likely to choose experiences that result in negative emotions, he said.

Bench added that Halloween may prompt this reaction in some people, since the holiday makes horror media more accessible and “so it’s time to have something new.”

Finally, some people simply like being scared, he said.

“The most popular experience on average is happiness,” Bench said. “But there is a variability in what people prefer to experience, with some people preferring to experience states like fear and sadness more than other people.”

A safe way to be scared

Science may never fully explain society’s love of chills and thrills, but it’s not difficult for some horror movie aficionados to pinpoint exactly why they go back to the horror genre again and again.

Adam Mast is a festival director with St. George’s HorrorFest International (part of the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah) that each October features a variety of original horror movies and shorts from filmmakers all over the world. (This year’s event ended on Oct. 23.)

Mast said he watches horror movies for the same reason he rides roller coasters: it’s a safe way to experience terror.

“You can seek solace in horror,” he said. “It’s a safety net… knowing you’re just watching a movie.”

There’s also a cathartic element to horror movies, he said, as they can include themes like grief, guilt and dysfunctional relationships.

Tori Baker, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Film Society, added that the horror genre exploits the fears people have about humanity, society and their own psychological well-being.

Horror movies are “a great way to explore those fears, as we know the movie will end,” she said. “Our fight-or-flight response while viewing a horror film can have us on the edge of our seat, but then comes the huge, cathartic release when the movie ends and the lights come up.”

She also said that horror movies often invoke current issues and anxieties.

For example, HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” (featuring a young Black man in the 1950s who faces monsters from writer H.P. Lovecraft’s tales) and “Candyman” (about the vengeful spirit of a Black man who was unjustly killed by police) both “boldly explore race and racism,” she said. “The genre will reflect what we’re experiencing because the artists behind these works have important things to say, comment on or explore.”

Do horror movies promote violence?

While horror movies can tell compelling stories and reflect current events, some may worry that the popularity of a genre which often features blood and gore has given rise to greater real-life violence.

But Mast said he feels this is an unfair oversimplification.

While art can affect people in different ways, particularly when mental health comes into play, “I don’t watch ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and then feel compelled to go out and skin somebody,” he said. “I hate when a film or any kind of art is used as a scapegoat.”

John said when people routinely expose themselves to horror media, it can’t help but impact them, particularly among people who already have psychopathic tendencies such as reduced empathy.

However, “I’m not saying that you’re going to have a situation where somebody is triggered [by horror media],” John said. “If violent content led directly to violent actions, then our society would be a lot more violent than it actually is.”

Rather, media effects research is messy, he said, and it’s important to consider the nuances of individual content viewers.

Benefits of fear

Some feel that scary experiences can even have good outcomes. Heidi Dunfield, co-owner of Fear Factory, said the most positive impact of fear, which she sees “on a daily basis” during the Halloween season, is bonding between friends and family.

She’s also noticed that people often like the feeling of having persevered through a scary experience, she said.

“I’ll go through and look at the hashtags on social media,” Dunfield said. “I see people saying ‘We made it out!’ and just hugging each other.”

Bench added that in real life, negative emotions like fear “absolutely have a function and a purpose and at times are good to experience.”

For instance, he said if he came across an angry bear while hiking and wasn’t scared, he could end up seriously harmed.

To that end, scary stories can sometimes serve as lessons on what not to do or what to avoid, Bench said.

John’s BioComms Lab has come to a similar conclusion. In one study, he said they found that people who were shown pictures of ultraviolet damage to their skin became motivated by the fear of skin cancer to use sunscreen more often.

Fear can also be harnessed to overcome phobias, John said. For example, he cited a virtual reality game where people with arachnophobia go through different levels. In the first level, they simply see a spider in a glass jar. The levels progress from multiple spiders in the jar to spiders outside of the jar to spiders crawling on their hands.

However, though fear isn’t always a negative thing, John said it can cause people to shut down if used incorrectly.

“It’s so easy to get exposed to all types of visuals, some that we want and some that we don’t,” he said.

That said, good art sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable, John added, which is why it’s important for people to be aware of their own comfort levels.

“I’m a fan of people being in-tune with what they feel drives them and [knowing] what benefits that they’re getting out of the media that they’re using,” he said. “Because ultimately, we are still in control of what we choose to watch.”