Contents:

Fear is supposed to protect people, so why do some people crave fear?
Controlled fear is fine
Fear and joy - theoretically extremely different, ultimately similar
Fear can lead to a variety of problems

Psychologists, psychotherapists and all other people who deal with the human psyche have long insisted that there are no 'good' and 'bad' emotions. Happiness or love are typically associated as positive emotions, while anger or hatred, for example, are regarded as negative emotions. However, each emotion, whether it is considered positive or negative, has a certain significance for human life and the human psyche.

An important emotion for human life is fear. It is most likely that fear has been experienced in the human population since the beginning of its existence - the sense of fear was meant to protect humanity from various threatening events. Examples include fear of fire (which can eventually burn, leading to serious injuries) or fear of great heights (after all, from a high place that is surrounded by a precipice, one can fall and even lose one's life because of it).

Fear can therefore be considered beneficial, however, sometimes experiencing it in excess leads to serious consequences - after all, there are several different psychiatric entities at the core of which is the excessive feeling of fear, or basically anxiety. Despite this, some people just... like to be afraid. This seems downright irrational, but it turns out that the love of fear can be explained quite simply.

Fear is supposed to protect people, so why do some people crave fear?

In each of us, fear is triggered by different types of situations. For some people, it is a storm raging outside their window that makes them feel fear, while for others it is when they hear the footsteps of a stranger following them down a dark street. However, there are situations that provoke fear in most of us, and what is more, we encounter these situations of our own free will. We are talking about various types of film works.

Horror, thriller or crime films - the role of such productions is not only to draw the viewer into the story, but also to make them shudder. Some people would gladly take their feet off the ground at the very thought of watching a horror film, but for others, going to the cinema to see a film of a different genre than horror is unthinkable. A penchant for feeling scared is definitely not a form of deviation or abnormality - some of us just like to be scared.

The fundamental aspect responsible for humanity's penchant for feeling fear is considered to be that when we are afraid, this very emotion typically overshadows any other thoughts that were previously in our heads. Problems at work, a tough time at university or arguments with a partner - when we find ourselves in a cinema room and see a horror-filled scene, we may not think about the problems that plague us for a while. This kind of temporary detachment from reality may be the main reason why we like to be scared, but it is not the only justification for some people's penchant for experiencing the thrill of horror.

Controlled fear is fine

When we are afraid, the body prepares itself for fight or flight - the sympathetic nervous system is then stimulated. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for dilating the pupil, accelerating the heart rate and widening the airways, in addition to centralising the circulation (so that blood can reach the organs that are most important for survival, such as the heart and brain). These phenomena are designed to prepare the body for battle in the best possible way and occur, among other things, when the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated by the fear we feel.

No one is happy about an accelerated heart rate, so why should activation of the sympathetic nervous system explain why we like to be afraid? Well, here we have the aspect that it is one thing to feel fear in a life-threatening situation and another to feel fear while watching a film. In the latter case, we are dealing with a "controlled" fear - the natural urge to run away that arises then can be overcome quite easily. Even if a horror film strikes us with a very strong fear, we can quickly realise that it is only fiction, nothing bad is happening and the terrible things we think about are only happening on screen. This kind of control of our emotions (in this case fear) may explain why we like to be afraid - we can control our emotions, which can lead to feeling a unique degree of satisfaction.

Fear and joy - theoretically extremely different, ultimately similar

Another idea to explain people's love of fear is that fear can lead to similar reactions in the body as when we are... happy. It turns out that when people feel either fear or joy, similar substances can be secreted in their brains and bodies. In such a situation, fear could indeed be a desirable emotion, but as the popular saying goes - what's too much is too bad..

Fear can lead to various problems

Analysing the above-discussed aspects, one could come to the conclusion that fear is beneficial, however, one thing must be emphasised - certainly not in excess. Various situations that lead to feelings of strong fear are at the root of various psychological disorders. One example is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can last for many years and occurs after a particularly traumatic event. Still other problems that are related to fear and anxiety and at the same time belong to one of the most common mental disorders are various anxiety disorders.

So, if someone likes to be scared and takes great pleasure in attending cinema horror movie marathons - there is nothing wrong with that. If, on the other hand, another person gets goose bumps at the mere thought of a horror film, there is no point in forcibly dragging them to a screening. Fear may be desirable, but not for everyone - so let's leave the love of feeling it to those who really enjoy it.

way4cure.com

Why do we like to be afraid?

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