As Halloween approaches, some may wonder: What about being scared is so exciting? Or how come I cannot sleep after watching a horror movie? Interviews have concluded that Bellarmine students have a wide variety of answers regarding getting scared.
During interviews, the questions were asked: Do you enjoy watching scary movies or going to haunted houses? Do you like the thrill of being scared? Can you sleep after encountering scary things? Students had many different viewpoints and answers which prompted the question: what is the psychology behind it all?
Junior Cora Ecklund said, “No, I think there’s already enough horror in the world, so why would we watch horror movies.”
In addition, Brady Liloc, a junior, said, “I do not like haunted houses, they’re too scary, and I’m not gonna do them.”
Junior Delya Lewis said, “I need to have positive thoughts or read a happy book, before [I sleep] or else I‘ll dream of something bad.” All three agree they don’t enjoy scary things, but for three different reasons. One said since you can see horror in the world everyday, while another said it scared him, and finally because they have a hard time sleeping, so they don’t like getting scared.
Research from the Cleveland Clinic shows that anxiety and stress forces your body to release hormones that make it harder to fall asleep. So, it makes sense why some students don’t like it because it induces stress.
On the other hand, other students responded in a different way. Senior Gigi Gildark said, “Yes, I love it [haunted houses], I love being chased by chain saws, I love the scary actors, I think they’re so talented.” Gildark also stated, “I kind of like it to give me a scare, I like the feeling of being scared.”
Another student, junior Nate Mobley said, “I definitely like them [horror movies] because I feel like it resembles the season and it just makes me feel more in spirit.” This brings up the question, why do we like being scared?
Research from the British psychological society explains that when we get scared, we get an adrenaline rush through our bodies. This occurs as a chemical process in the brain which releases endorphins and dopamine, creating a sense of euphoria. When scared, our flight or fight triggers and releases this rush of adrenaline. Along with that, when people get scared they usually are with groups of people watching a movie, going to haunted houses, and it creates this connectivity and bond between the people. Being scared creates this sense of suspense and anticipation of what is about to occur next.
Collectively, in the Bellarmine community, some students enjoy the thrill of a scare, whereas others hate it. This shows different personalities, interests, and what makes each person unique.
