Some studies have found that people who are feeling nervous or are prone to anxiety are drawn to horror films, too. Research suggests that horror fans also tend to be people who enjoy intellectual stimulation and imaginative activities, and that many are sensation seekers - people who love thrills and new experiences - because they enjoy the rush of adrenaline they experience when they’re scared, Dr. But “that doesn’t mean that everybody who enjoys horror films is low in empathy,” she clarified, and a recent study that has not yet been peer-reviewed came to a different conclusion, reporting that horror fans have just as much empathy and compassion as non-fans - so the jury on this is still out.

Levine reported that people who have lower levels of empathy - measured in part by whether study participants agreed with statements like “I am often quite touched by things I see happen” - are more likely than others to enjoy scary media, because they do not worry as much for the victims. In an analysis of published research, Dr. We don’t know much about the personalities of people who love horror, but there are some theories. (Interestingly, though, women are more drawn to true crime, as I’ll discuss in a minute.) “Watching these kinds of films can be a way of mastering horrifying situations and demonstrating that you’re not afraid,” Dr. This could be because of the cultural expectation that men should be able to handle fear. Hoffner said, especially when gore is involved. My love for horror also challenges gender norms, because men tend to enjoy the genre more than women do, Dr. Research suggests horror fans have a fear “sweet spot,” too - they enjoy frightening experiences less when they don’t feel scared enough or feel too scared. The only time I did not enjoy a horror movie was when I was home alone at night as a tween watching “Child’s Play” and thought I heard noises coming from the living room (maybe Chucky was after me?). The first thing to understand about horror is that people only like it when they actually feel safe, said Cynthia Hoffner, a researcher at Georgia State University who studies the psychological effects of media. Some people enjoy scary things more than others do. What can we say about people who like watching others be chased, attacked and sometimes eaten? Why do so many people enjoy being scared out of their wits? I reached out to three researchers who study the psychology of horror fandom and learned there are many reasons people seek out these experiences - and that consuming horror in controlled doses may actually be helpful for our mental health. In 2014, horror movies made up a 2.69 percent share of the annual box office, but the percentage jumped to 12.75 percent in 2021, according to the online movie database The Numbers. And I can’t make it through October without watching the original “Halloween.”Īpparently, there’s a growing legion of gore fans like me out there, as interest in scary films has been on the rise. I listen to disturbing true crime podcasts on my daily walks. (If you were one of them: I’m sorry.) Stephen King’s “It” remains one of my favorite books. I became the girl who made all her friends watch scary movies at slumber parties.

That evening sparked my lifetime love of horror stories. Whitney, on the other hand, didn’t sleep well for weeks.

I picked “A Nightmare on Elm Street” - Mom must not have checked the title or she would have balked - and I loved every second of it. One weekend when I was in the fourth grade and my friend Whitney was coming to sleep over, my mother took me to the video store to rent a movie.

Horror movie effects on brain