Halloween Special: Scientists Reveal the real reason why Fear can be fun too!

We, human beings are made of different kinds of feelings – Be it the thrill of joy, the sadness reeling out of the shocking incident, or the terror/fear caused by the perception of danger. With Halloween celebrations all around the globe, let’s dive into the scientific facts that make even the spookiness exciting.

The scientific logic behind fear and excitement

Fear is a weird feeling, primarily meant to be scary, fear can interestingly trigger our brain in a way that stimulates excitement and thrill. According to behavioral science experts, Fear activates stress hormones, like adrenaline and dopamine to react and release a sort of pleasure throughout the body.

Psychologist Michele Bedard-Gilligan explains the phenomenon of fear and how it triggers the functioning of our brain.

“(Fear) kicks off a reaction of stress hormones and neurotransmitters, namely adrenaline and dopamine, that then follows and goes down the body and sort of kicks in that fight, flight, freeze reaction," said Bedard-Gilligan.

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Is Halloween Scare fun?

The spooky Halloween season is all about dressing as vampires, goblins, witches, and other scary characters. Although primarily meant to be scared, we feel a sense of thrill and fascination whenever we watch horror movies or visit haunted places, even listening to horror stories kicks in the adrenaline rush. Doctors have revealed that the same part of the brain that reacts to pleasure also responds to fear.

“Those adrenaline and dopamine releases that we get, they're also linked to pleasure centers in the brain. And for many of us, that feels fun and exciting to kind of have that type of reaction, particularly when it's happening in a space that we know is actually not objectively dangerous,” added Bedard-Gilligan.

Michele Bedard-Gilligan is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

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Halloween 2023 is being celebrated today and many Hollywood stars have taken the spooky fun to the next level by dressing up in intriguing outfits and iconic characters.