Spooky season is officially here! This means that horror movies, haunted houses, and overall “spooky” things make a comeback. There is a theory that people love this time of year, primarily because they want to test how much they can handle before they are truly scared. Many people find a thrill in being scared, which sounds like a contradiction as fear is a negative emotion. Typically, when you are scared, you tend to hold your breath, your palms get sweaty, and your pulse races. These aren’t pleasant sensations, and yet people are drawn to experiencing this. So why is that, and what draws people to inherently scary things?
As humans, fear is a primitive emotion, something that we want to escape from or outgrow. Although, from an artistic perspective, fear can also be a very descriptive and deep emotion. Fear can be interpreted as something that can become an experience and even a performance. Imagine watching a scary movie, the lights go out on screen, there is an eerie silence, and all of a sudden, there is a jumpscare. Just thinking about it evokes a powerful sensation that can almost be equated to a performance. The experiences that you have are incredibly raw, and there is no way to fake genuine fear. While these scary experiences—such as haunted houses or horror movies—can be engineered, the feelings people experience are still genuine, which border on our primal instinct to want to survive.
The reason why many individuals seek out these types of experiences is because fear is an emotion that cannot be faked. People genuinely feel fear, and people who are inclined to put themselves through these situations or consume this form of media want to experience this strong and very human emotion. In a world where they know they aren’t in any real danger, humans enjoy walking the fine line between wanting to survive and actual survival. In a way, fear can also be interpreted as a form of surrender, wanting to lose control in a controlled environment. Culturally, this is true across our lives: amusement parks with large roller coasters, sky-diving being a prominent extreme sport, and even the philosophy of breaking the rules just for the thrill. People thrive on the adrenaline rush of doing these things, especially because they know that they aren’t in any real danger.
From a biological perspective, humans need fear. While it inherently keeps us safe, it can also help keep us grounded in a way. Fear is so raw that it humbles us as individuals. It isn’t necessarily a weakness if you are scared, but rather a sign that you feel threatened to the point where all you care about is survival. Once this feeling fades, what is left isn’t exactly relief but rather awe. This awe comes from the fact that you got through it, you felt it, you made it out, and that you are human.
