Studies indicate that despite seeming counterintuitive, the act of being frightened from horror stories can lead to a decrease in feelings of stress.
With horror tales Hereditary and The Nun recently soaring at the box office, it’s clear that moviegoers continue to be drawn to the depraved. The question continually arises, why are we curious about witnessing horrific events befalling typically innocent and likeable individuals? Horror expert Stephen King suggests that we as a society use horror movies as a way of satisfying our unconsciously insane fantasies to balance us and maintain our mental health overall. While that is a provocative claim, in my experience there is more to the answer.
I recall a stressful instance in my life where I had copious obligations including job interviews and exams lined up for the week, and with the calendar approaching Halloween, I decided on a whim to watch some of the most horrific stories I could think of. After watching chilling films like You’re Next and Goodnight Mommy, I discovered something fascinating and unexpected occurred. I miraculously felt less anxiety about my approaching week, as my problems seemed so small compared to a crisis such as fighting for my very survival.
Why did the act of stressing myself out more by watching an intensely frightening story mitigate my symptoms of anxiety? Studies have found that when given a choice, people are consistently drawn to witness negative situations that depict death, violence, or harm over neutral images to satisfy a morbid curiosity. This tendency can be interpreted as people hoping to gain experience with the most negative outcomes that occur in life so that if they ever face events such as these they will be able to effectively deal with them.
This finding may also explain why younger moviegoers are typically drawn to horror flicks, as it’s been reported that the majority of the horror audience group is between the ages 18 to 30 years old. In recent months it has been increasingly reported that the millennial generation is purportedly the most anxious age groups of all time. It’s probably no coincidence that additional studies have found that people exhibiting high levels of anxiety are more afraid on a physiological level to scary moments in horror films.
Taken together, this indicates that young individuals who are reportedly more prone to stress and anxiety are more impacted by horrifying stories, which could explain why this genre is so popular with the age group. One could conclude that it follows that the lack of life experience possessed by younger moviegoers is driving them to satisfy their morbid curiosity (more than older individuals who are more set in their ways) and want to prepare for what they perceive to be an uncertain future.
This act of mentally preparing for the worst-case scenarios in life can inadvertently provide perspective, and make seemingly stressful life occurrences such as job interviews or exams feel mild by comparison. After all, if someone is equipped to deal with a murderous psycho, how bad is it to explain where you see yourself in 5 years to a room full of strangers?
