Fear factor

Do you ever tell scary stories at nighttime when it’s dark and spooky? Do you like watching movies like “Hocus Pocus” or “Goosebumps”? Are haunted houses fun for you? As weird as it might sound, it’s very common to like to feel scared. But why is that?

Why we feel fear

Fear is actually a good thing for people to have. It keeps us safe. Let’s say you’re outside and a big scary dog comes charging at you with its teeth bared. Fear is your brain telling you to run away or to fight back. This is called a “fight or flight” response, and it’s a way we protect ourselves. Our brains tell us we aren’t safe so we can take action to make ourselves safe.

Tricking your brain

So why do we like feeling scared at things like movies and stories? Part of it is that you know you’re safe. You know the werewolf in the haunted house is just a guy in a costume and won’t really hurt you. But you still feel that thrill because there’s a part of you that still gets that fight or flight feeling. So your heart might beat a little faster, and you might even giggle because your body is reacting to what’s happening but you still know you’re OK.

Other reasons we like scary things

Another reason we like things like scary stories and movies is that we’re curious. Most of us don’t have too many things to be really, really scared of, but we know that scary things happen in the world. Doing things that feel scary but are actually safe helps us make sense of scary things and experience them without actually being at risk. We also like to do scary things with other people because sharing experiences like this can make us feel closer.