Why can fear feel enjoyable when we know we are safe? First, let’s look at the hormones and brain chemicals involved.
The Difference Between Fear and Controlled Fear
The most important distinction with controlled fear is that the brain recognizes that the situation is safe and that these physical reactions can be interpreted as excitement rather than genuine danger that you need to protect yourself from.
Speculation amongst scholars suggests that recreational fear may be thought of as a form of play among not only children but adults. The essential idea is that recreational fear, such as haunted houses or horror movies, provides an environment in which individuals can have low-cost, risk-free experiences with fear and any negative emotions that come along with fear, such as anxiety, dread, and disgust. It allows participants to feel these negative emotions without being in actual danger. This can be compared to a child excitedly being playfully chased by a caregiver. Haunted houses allow adults to playfully engage with a form of threat stimulation without being in actual danger.
Hormones and Brain Chemicals
- Adrenaline (epinephrine):
- Adrenaline is a hormone that triggers the body’s immediate fight-or-flight response. It prepares you to face or escape a possible threat by making your heart beat faster, increasing your breathing rate, and making you feel more alert and energized.
- Noradrenaline (norepinephrine):
- Noradrenaline functions as both a hormone and a brain chemical. It increases alertness and helps you focus on possible danger. During a scary movie or haunted-house experience, it can make you more watchful and ready to react.
- Cortisol:
- Cortisol helps the body manage stress by making energy available to respond to a potential threat. During controlled fear, such as a haunted house, cortisol levels may rise even when there is no real danger.
- Endorphins:
- Are natural chemicals that can reduce pain and create a sense of relief or pleasure after a frightening moment ends.
- Dopamine:
- Is a chemical messenger in your brain that drives ambition, anticipation, and reward-seeking behavior. It may help make the anticipation, excitement, and relief after a scare feel rewarding.
How These Hormones Work Together
These different brain chemicals and hormones work together to shape the experience of controlled fear. Adrenaline and noradrenaline work together to create the immediate physical rush, which you experience through the increase in your heart rate, breathing, alertness, and attention. This is what makes a scary scene or moment feel intense and exciting.
The Role of Cortisol and Endorphins
Then cortisol plays a role by helping the body maintain an energy supply that is sufficient to respond to stress. While endorphins may reduce any discomfort and contribute to feelings of relief after a frightening moment ends, endorphins are what help you know and feel alright after the moment is over.
Dopamine and the Feeling of Reward
Dopamine may also contribute to the excitement and anticipation of the experience. It can also play a role in the feeling of reward and satisfaction you get after completing something scary, like walking through a haunted house.
Why Anticipation Is Half the Fun
We’ve all felt fear and know just how powerful the emotion can be, and arguably, when you anticipate it, the buildup can be scarier than the actual reaction or threat. When doing something like a haunted house, where you’re anticipating the fear, the anticipation is half the fun. This is because you know you’re in a safe, contained area and that the fear is somewhat logical because it’s not a threat to your safety.
During the anticipation of the threat, the body prepares to become very efficient in the presence of possible danger. It does so by activating the fight-or-flight response and releases adrenaline. This leads the brain to become hyper-alert and your senses to be heightened. Additionally, your heart rate and blood pressure increase and your pupils dilate.
Afterwards, enduring something that you think of as scary and knowing that you survived it can lead to a sense of accomplishment. So, you accomplished completing that haunted house which may lead you to want to do it again.
What Research Says About Haunted Houses
A study conducted in 2022 of the real haunted house experience examined the psychological reactions to unexpected threats. It found that the intensity and timing of when participants were scared affected their physical responses, which demonstrated how haunted houses can produce measurable fear reactions in an entertaining setting.
Scared Together: Social Side of Fear
It has been postulated that fear can become a more enjoyable experience when experienced with friends. Watching a horror movie with friends or walking through a haunted house with a group allows for a shared moment and connection from people to being able to share their feelings, reactions, and joy. There’s also an element of comfort in knowing who’s with you that can add to the experience.
Research on high-intensity horror settings found that people’s heart rates could become synchronized during the experience and that this effect was stronger amongst people who were socially close. This research suggests that shared fear may contribute to social connection, which suggests that controlled fear-based activities could help social bonding.
Conclusion
So, why do we love being scared? The answer lies in the complex relationship between our brain, body, and emotions. From the rush of adrenaline to the rewarding effects of dopamine, fear can become an experience filled with excitement and pleasure. Add in the anticipation, the sense of accomplishment, and the social connection of sharing these moments with friends, and it becomes clear why we willingly seek out fear. Ultimately, what makes controlled fear so enjoyable is knowing that we are safe. So, the next time you scream your way through a haunted house or hide behind a pillow during a horror movie, remember that sometimes the best part of being scared is knowing you have nothing to fear.
Emma Haccoun Choquette is a student entering U3 Kinesiology at McGill University.
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