The beginning of October is traditionally the time of year that people start to think about ghosts, goblins, haunted houses or mazes, horror movies and those ever mysterious things that go bump in the night.
All of these things have one thing in common: fear. They all try to scare everyone so that they will cry like little children and beg for their mommies.
Even knowing that the outcome might be embarrassing, people are continually drawn to fear. This occurs for several different reasons. One of which is that people physically enjoy being scared and the adrenaline rush received can be addictive.
“Anything that is addictive will have a dopamine rush to it, so whether it is drugs, sex, driving fast, playing sports, bungee jumping, fear or being scared, there is a dopamine rush that is very sudden,” said Dr. Angie MacKewn, Associate Professor of Psychology.
MacKewn explained the sudden rush that people feel after participating in these somewhat dare devilish behaviors is a biological response to the flight-or-fight mode.
“The limbic system consists of the hypothalamus which stems the release of all these chemicals and hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin with a little bit of oxytocin and the hippocampus, which is your long-term memory storage,” MacKewn said.
This long-term memory storage is the reason that horror movie fans sometimes find themselves unconsciously perched on the edge of their seats when they hear a sudden change in music.
“Take the movie ‘Jaws,’ for example. When you heard the music change to ‘duh-duh-DUH-DUH’ the first time, it didn’t cause a response; then the shark attacked, and it scared you. So the next time that you heard the music change to ‘duh-duh-DUH-DUH,’ your body was anticipating that something was about to happen. The music paired with the feeling that you received when you got scared, causing a trigger in your body; it gave you a little thrill and you liked it,” MacKewn said.
MacKewn also explained that fear is many times a social experience, being magnified in groups.
“Going to a haunted maze, haunted house or watching a scary movie is a very social event. The feelings that you would have or the response that you would receive magnified when there are three or four participating,” MacKewn said.
Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Darwin-Tamar Ramsey explained that contrary to their bad reputation, horror movies actually do provide a needed component in society.
“Horror movies and ghost stories contribute to the stability of the social order by reaffirming our value system,” Ramsey said.
Dr. Jeff Longacre, Assistant Professor of English and Modern Foreign Languages, explained that horror movies also serve another helpful function to society.
“The popularity of horror movies seems counterintuitive; that in times of real world horror, such as September 11th or WWII, we gravitate to fictional horror. One theory is that fantasy and fiction give us a safe way to work through the emotions that we are having in real life,” Longacre said.
Dr. Arthur Hunt, Associate Professor of Communications also commented on horror films and fear.
“All horror films play off of fear, and I think that we like to be scared. We like the thrill of being scared in a contained environment,” Hunt said.
Associate Professor of History and Philosophy Dr. Christopher Brown, who looked at the subject of fear from a theological standpoint, explained that people are drawn to fear and being scared because they are looking for something they need.
“From an Augustinian perspective, [which holds to the idea that love is at the root of everything we do]; perhaps we scare ourselves because we are not content with the everyday; with the mundane. We want something more; we’re looking for something that can satisfy our desire for the infinite, for example, God; that’s why we go to haunted houses,” said Brown.
It is clear that people are drawn to fear. They are drawn because they are seeking something that they do not currently have in their lives. Whether that void is caused by a need to work out their problems; figure out the nature of evil; feel an adrenaline rush; or a need to have a closer relationship with
God, is unclear. However, all of these items do seem to be different pieces of a puzzle that just might make a whole. Each reason’s edges seem to touch on the next reason’s edge. Making them all appear to be a part of the collective answer to the question, “Why are Americans drawn to fear?”
