The Science of Fright

IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE HORROR MOVIES BECOME REGULAR VIEWING AND TRIPS TO HAUNTED HOUSES ARE ON THE WEEKEND ITINERARY. BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT THOSE SPOOKY SEASON THAT MAKES PEOPLE FIND WAYS TO CARE OF THEMSELVES. WELL, THERE ARE PLENTY OF TERRIFYING WAYS TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN. SO W G C IS KAY KRONON LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGY FOR THE ALLURE OF CHASING FEAR. >> FOR MORE ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR. I'M JOINED BY CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER AREA LIVE IN HARA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME TODAY THAT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. SO I WANT TO START BY EXPLORING WHAT TRIGGERS THE FEELINGS OF FEAR. WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BODIES AND OUR MINDS WHEN WE START FEELING AFRAID? >> YEAH. SO THERE'S ACTUALLY A PART OF OUR BRAIN THAT IS IN CONTROL OF THE YEAR. IT'S CALLED THE AMYGDALA. AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT TRIGGERS THAT FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE AND ARE NERVOUS SYSTEM. AND SO WHEN YOU START TO FEEL YOUR INCREASED HEART RATE AND YOU START TO FEEL YOUR SWEATY PALMS. THAT IS ALL BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN IS DRIVING THOSE CONNECTIONS TO PROTECT YOU. AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ALIKE. MY BRAIN IS THERE TO TELL ME WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG AND WHAT'S GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BE SCARY OR NOT SCARY, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY ONLY DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU ALIVE. AND SO IT DOES THAT ARE THAT THE DETECTION OF FEAR >> AND I KNOW EVERY YEAR HALLOWEEN ROLLS AROUND, WE SEE SPOOKY COSTUMES HAUNTED HOUSES. WE DO SCARY MOVIE MARATHONS. WHY ARE PEOPLE DRAWN TO THESE THESE SCARY TOPICS WHEN 2 PEOPLE ENJOY THIS FEELING OF BEING AFRAID? >> THERE IS A LOT OF SENSE OF COMMUNITY AROUND THAT. TYPICALLY PEOPLE ARE DOING THOSE THINGS AND GROUP SETTINGS AND SO SOCIALLY, IT'S SORT OF A SHARED EXPERIENCE WHERE IT DECREASES THE POTENTIAL WHERE IT'S ALSO IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO REAL RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. AND SO IT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE THAT SORT OF ADRENALINE RUSH. AND THOSE LIKE INCREASE OF ENDORPHINS AND KNOWING THAT THERE IS NO REAL POTENTIAL THREAT THAT'S THERE, THAT IT'S ALL SORT OF MAKE BELIEVE. BUT IT'S ALSO THAT COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY THEY'RE SORT OF LIKE THIS BONDING EXPERIENCE OVER, YOU KNOW, HAVING A SCARY INTERACTION AND THEN BEING ABLE TO LAUGH ABOUT IT AFTER WHICH MOST PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY GO THROUGH A HAUNTED HOUSE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THAT LIKE EXPERIENCE TOGETHER AND DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN SCARED OR THEIR FRIENDS BY HAVE BEEN SCARED. >> YEAH. AND THEN HOW DOES IT COVER? REACTIONS DIFFER. SAY WE'RE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE. KNOW SOMETHING SCARY IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIRST AS WINNER AND A REAL-LIFE SCARY SITUATION. HOW DO WE RESPOND IN EITHER OF THOSE CASES? YEAH. SO GOING INTO A HAUNTED HOUSE, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY NOT ANYTHING HARMFUL RIGHT HAPPENING THERE. >> AND IT'S MORE OF THIS SURPRISE FACTOR AND THE ANTICIPATION. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE THE POTENTIAL RULES THAT MIGHT BE THERE AS WELL. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MIGHT GO TO COLLEGE SCREAM OR, YOU KNOW, UNIVERSAL'S A VERSION OF THAT, AND THEY KNOW THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES ARE LIKE PEOPLE CAN'T TOUCH THEM. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME PROTECTION FACTORS THERE. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TO KNOW THAT, ALTHOUGH I'M I HAD A HEIGHTENED SENSE OF ANXIETY GOING IN THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO SCARE ME. I ALSO CAN PREDICT THAT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN VERSUS AND A REAL SETTING. YOU DON'T HAVE THAT PROTECTION FACTOR AND IT'S SORT OF THE UNKNOWN, WHICH IS WHERE YOUR BRAIN TAKES OVER TO SAY I NEED TO KEEP YOU ALIVE AND SAFE. >> AND I KNOW PERSONALLY, I LOVE HORROR MOVIES TO EVERYONE ELSE IN MY FAMILY. ABSOLUTELY HOPES THAT. YEAH, YOU THINK IT IS THAT SOME PEOPLE REALLY LOVED GETTING INTO ALL OF THE SCARY SPOOKY STUFF, BUT SOME PEOPLE CANNOT STAND IT. >> I THINK A LOT OF AGO ALSO INTO A PERSONALITY TYPE. AND SO THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE HIGHER SENSES OF NEUROTICISM FOR THEIR PERSONALITY TYPE MIGHT GRAVITATE AWAY FROM IT. FIRST, AS THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE MORE OF A SENSE OF OPENNESS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, DESIRABLE AND TO ENGAGE IN SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES FOR IT. SO A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH PERSONALITY AND THEN ALSO THE ADRENALINE FACTOR. AFTER SOME PEOPLE REALLY LIKE THAT IMMEDIATE RUSH AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY ENJOY THAT AS MUCH SIMILAR TO ROLLER COASTERS. YOU FIND PEOPLE WHO REALLY ENJOY THAT FOR ALL. AND THEN SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T AND MORE SO BECAUSE OF THAT FEAR COMPONENT. AND AND SO USUALLY AFTER YOU EXPERIENCE A 21 MASTERS USUALLY LIKE THAT SHAKE THE FEELING THAT OCCURS AFTER AND SOME PEOPLE JUST REALLY FIND THAT TO BE UNPLEASANT. AND SO THEY TYPICALLY SHY AWAY FROM THAT OR THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT MIGHT, YOU KNOW, CONFLICT FOR THE VALUES AND THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE WATCHING THAT TYPICALLY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE HORROR MOVIES. AND SO IT COULD ALSO BE POTENTIALLY LIKE MORALS AND VALUES CONFLICTS THAT THEY EXPERIENCE THAT DIRECT AS FALL. >> DO YOU THINK CONSUMING ALL OF THOSE SCARY SPOOKY MEDIA CAN EVER GET TO A POINT WHERE IT'S TOO MUCH FOR PEOPLE TO HANDLE. >> I THINK EACH PERSON HAS THEIR THRESHOLD IN LIMON. SO I THINK THAT I THINK IS UNIQUE TO EACH PERSON. AND I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE KNOW THAT GOING INTO IT AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T GOING INTO IT. AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU FIND THAT SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCED NIGHTMARES AFTER WATCHING IT OR BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE ANXIOUS AFTER. AND I THINK THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY TELLTALE SIGNS THAT MAYBE YOU'VE CROSSED OVER YOUR THRESHOLD FOR WHAT YOU ARE ALLOWING YOURSELF FOR WHAT YOU FEEL IS BEST FOR YOU. >> ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ARIELLA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. AND HELPING US LEARN ALL ABOUT WHY WE LIKE TO BE