WHY DO PEOPLE WATCH SCARY MOVIES?

Some of the most popular films in history were those that fell into the genre of horror, eliciting feelings of fear, terror and disgust. People will pay top dollar to subject themselves to two hours of what is normally perceived to be negative content, yet leave the theater with big smiles on their faces when it is all over. This goes against the theory that humans only seek pleasure and avoid pain. The prevailing thoughts on this subject are that people like to be afraid because it actually creates arousal that translates into positive feelings that lead to snuggling, as with a date, and gets their adrenaline going. Also, that they will suffer through the fear and anxiety just to experience the sense of relief from the proverbial joyful finale where the evil monster is defeated. However, the August 2007 issue of The Journal of Consumer Research presents a study by two university researchers which concluded that what is
really happening,people are enjoying the ability to experience both negative and positive emotions at the same time. It further explains that people actually enjoy being scared and that the fearful moment is at once the most pleasant. This is similar to the coexisting fear (negative) and thrill (positive) that you experience on a high- speed rollercoaster at an amusement park. It invokes our most primal feelings of survival and defeat as we might have after fighting off a wild animal in the jungle. So grab your date and go see a horror flick and prepare