By Malaya Madison
For most people, every Halloween features scary movies, haunted houses, and even spooky decorations. These are just a few of the creepy traditions associated with the annual holiday.
So, why would anyone want to visit a haunted house, trick-or-treat at the scariest house on the block, or watch terrifying movies? The answer is the unique thrill that fear brings.
I figured I’d check in with a local expert on human psychology, Julie Mehta, an Upper School Counselor.
“If you can be scared about a scary movie, where you know you’re safe, you can release the tension that there isn’t a real risk,” she said.
She herself likes to get her thrills with scary movies rather than haunted houses. Then again, when it comes to movies, she doesn’t like them to be too intense. She enjoys all the lighter classics like Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, but also comical scary movies like Scream.
She’s not a fan of more experiential scares. “If you think about haunted houses too much, it can get a little creepy,” she said. “You know, there could be a real psycho lurking in the dark.”
This “imagined’ fear perfectly describes the science behind why some people enjoy being scared.
According to the article “Five Reasons We Enjoy Being Scared” in Psychology Today, our brains release dopamine and adrenaline when faced with frightening situations, but with movies and haunted houses, we know we are safe. This is a similar chemical reaction that creates a sense of euphoria.
However, some brains are more sensitive to the stress hormones released in these interactions, causing unpleasant reactions, according to “The Psychology of Fear,” in VeryWellMind.
So, if the reactions of fear resemble reactions from other emotions, how can psychologists use this as therapy?
Mrs. Mehta explained that “fear and anxiety have similar physiological reactions, which can be helpful for a frame of reference for somebody who is experiencing those symptoms in a real-life way.”
To Mrs. Mehta’s point, fear can teach us a great deal about how our brain is structured and how we respond to these emotions.
In our Halloween survey, we asked students and faculty about how they react to being scared. On a scale of 1-5, where 5 means “I strongly agree that I enjoy being scared” and 1 means “I strongly disagree that I enjoy being scared,” the vast majority of survey-takers rated themselves a 3 or more. Nearly twenty percent rated themselves a five.
Freshmen Kari Knotts and Kai Whittle enjoy being scared because it gives them an “adrenaline rush”.
Kari enjoys sharing her scary experiences. ”We can laugh and have a good time.” Kai says. “I like being scared because it creates a lot of energy in me.”
Freshman Sarah Ann Lindsay reflected on her experience going to Netherworld, “I went with a few of my friends, and they even started crying, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I liked interacting with the characters,” she says.
While “Netherworld” refers to the realm of the dead below the earth, those in Atlanta know it as a popular haunted house located in Stone Mountain.
According to the survey, thirty-two percent of Lovett students have visited Netherworld once or twice, while the majority, thirty-eight percent, have never been, but are open to going.
Unfortunately, some Lovett students who steer clear of haunted houses were just as spooked by the idea of an interview.
Even though some can escape the frightening experiences of haunted houses and scary movies, they cannot escape the thrill that appears in some front yards.
In the survey, we asked students about their favorite/scariest Halloween decoration they have seen.
Over half of the students who responded have a scary decoration that has stuck with them over the years.
Of course, the classic, giant, and unrealistic decorations were mentioned, such as a twenty-foot skeleton, gigantic spiders, or gigantic inflatables.
However, more realistic decorations were also mentioned, such as a realistic dead body, a graveyard, a skeleton emitting radioactive material, and clowns.
Then again, you have to know your audience. Not everyone is looking for an adrenaline rush.
As one survey taker wrote, “I have a two-year-old at home, so everything is about pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns! It’s cute.”
