In an article from the Today Show, Dr. Robi Ludwig examines the psychology and the science of fear. In his short article, Why We Like to be Scared: The Science Behind the Scream, Ludwig claims, "Creepy stories help us to release strong emotion."
What do you think? Why do people like being frightened? Cite at least one piece of textual evidence from the article. Don't forget to respond to classmates' perspectives! You can come up with your own ideas, as well, but please cite from the text if you want credit.
I think that people like being scared because sometimes people might just want to be excited or have a panic attack. They might be tired of a normal life of casual, boring stuff. They want something new and exciting. People want to push their limits and get scared, be daredevils and try scary things. It's just one thing that makes us humans human.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that Dr. Robi Ludwig said was that, "There’s also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment. The hormonal reaction we get when we are exposed to a threat or crisis can motivate this love of being scared. The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling." People may want to enjoy these feelings every now and then. Maybe you want to experience these feelings yourself.
-Taylor S.
I agree with what Taylor states,"People like being scared because sometimes people just want to be excited or have a panic attack." There are different reasons on why people want to have the feeling of being scared. We can look at fear on a hormonal perspective. We release hormones at times when we fell scared of frightened. As Dr. Robi Ludwig states, "The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush." When we are put in a state of fear our body releases hormones that make us feel braver.
ReplyDeleteWe can also look at this at a psychological point of view. As Dr. Ludwig states,"On a psychological level there's an appeal to vicariously experience what is forbidden, bizarre or dark." We enjoy feeling what is scary and out of the ordinary. We like to have a taste of how it feels like in events we haven't experienced. There may be different explanations for the appeal of fear but for all I know I do not like scary experiences.
I also agree with Taylor said about how people like to be scared because they what to do something exciting and or get frighted. They might get excited for scary things because they want to see how tolerant they are of fear, for example, "There is a great sense of satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we actually can handle more anxiety than we ever imagined we could." (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream). This shows that people become sort of accomplished when they see how they handle fear. They may also get excited because they want to experience something different from their normal lives, and horror or scary movies or videos could fix that. However, this may just be one reason.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason could maybe be on a scientific level. For example the same article as stated above by Dr. Ludwig, "The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling." This shows that when we are feeling threatened, we become more fearless which we are drawn to. In addition, these horror movies let us experience things very different and or things that may never happen to us, furthermore making us want to explore the horror genre to see if we can find something even more scarier. So go out, explore, and see if you can find a way to experience this scary horror feeling while it's the month of October.
I think that people like getting frightened for the excitement, and some people see this excitement as enjoyable. As the article "Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream" says, "There’s also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment. The hormonal reaction we get when we are exposed to a threat or crisis can motivate this love of being scared. The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling." This shows how people may enjoy the feeling of being frightened/scared.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason may be that people like to push themselves and try new things. For example "On a psychological level there’s an appeal to vicariously experience what’s forbidden, bizarre or dark" (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream). This shows how people want to see new things and explore the dark/scary things. Also people can get a good sense of satisfaction by pushing themselves and showing themselves that they can handle the scariness of the fright. Though different people have different opinions; some people like to be frightened, some people do not.
The thought of fear and the fact that we enjoy it has always been peculiar; however, I think it because it is human tendency to prove to themselves that they can handle such things. As the passage stated,"There is a great sense of satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we actually can handle more anxiety than we ever imagined we could." People love the type of feeling that they accomplished something, and doing that by watching frightening movies is no exception.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason people enjoy watching horror or frightening movies is that they allow us to see a different side of life. Most people aren't killers or murderers, they are just regular people living regular lives. The article has also contributed to this point by saying,"Horror films in particular allow us to explore the experience of fear in an enjoyable and safe way." This shows how movies are also a safe way for people to witness violence and hearth-stopping action without exposing yourself to any danger. As I have stated earlier, most people aren't X-Men or Avengers that perform spectacular feats and frightening scenario, they are just regular people who can't do any of that so it maybe a good way for them to experience the action and fright.
----------------------------------------------------------Jamal N--------------------------------------------------
Strong examples and evidence (}:
Delete~Karina V.
It’s that time of the year again. Zombies prowl the streets, werewolfs emit their eerie howls and demons watch your every move! People love the thrill of being scared, which ignites an “adrenaline rush” as Dr. Robi Ludwig described it. Our society has an urge to feel a chill run down their spine because, Dr Robi Ludwig states, “Horror films in particular allow us to explore the experience of fear in an enjoyable and safe way.” This gives us our human nature as Taylor said. People love the adrenaline rush they feel when watching the screen intently and bracing themselves for the scare coming, because it gives them an intense change to everyday life.
ReplyDeleteFrights also give people ways to, “...release strong emotions.” If everybody held on to every single strand of fear, then we wouldn’t be able to step outside. Halloween and scary movies give people a way to release these fears. Society likes the feeling of their hearts beating out of their chests because when it’s all over, they feel accomplished at how many scary things they can handle. So when Halloween night comes, let your fears loose and enjoy the company of the undead, Mwaaaa-haaa-haaaa-haaaa!
I think that people love the rush of adrenaline and the feeling of fear, but in a safe environment that they get from haunted houses and horror movies. By this I mean that when you are watching a horror movie, you may get scared and you may be afriad of the zombies you see on the screen, but somewhere in yourself, probably at the back of your mind, you know that it isn't real. You know that your not going to have to actually battle zombies on the way home. Yet you get frightened, but in a safe way. I agree with Jamal when he said that people also like horror movies because it allows them to see "a different side of life". I would like to add that to most people, it seems like a more interesting side of life, and some may even think of it as a more desirable side of life. Although personally, I strongly dislike horror movies, scary stories, and especially haunted houses.
ReplyDeleteAnother good/interesting reason can be found in the article. It states,"Experts know it's not uncommon for people to want to push the envelope just to see how much fear they can tolerate"(Why we like to be scared:The science behind the scream). I believe it is true that many people like to "push the envelope", or test the limit for how much fear they can handle. Many people think that the more fear you can handle, the better. It is also believed that the more horror movies you watch, the better, so I have been made fun of when truthfully telling someone that I have never seen a single horror movie.
I think that people like to get scared because they want to feel the rush of excitement that comes after the initial shock. In order to feel the rush, some people seek situations that will cause fear. According to the article “Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream”, “This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling.” When we overcome our fears, “we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically”. Once we’ve conquered one fear, we seek out more because “As a culture, we seem to be craving these intense panic button experiences more and more” (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream).
ReplyDeleteOn a psychological level, I think that we tend to seek out frightening situations because “people want to push the envelope just to see how much fear they can tolerate” (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream). We want to face our fears, and at this time of year, we can find a lot of frightening situations in haunted house, Fright Fest, Halloween Carnivals, etc. These places allow us to face down our fears in a safe environment. According to Dr. Ludwig, “Many of us have a need to expose ourselves to sensations which are different from our daily routine. This helps us feel more stimulated by life.” (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream) Also, scary situations or stories “help us release strong emotions”. Once these emotions are released, you feel a sense of “personal pleasure.” “There is a great sense of satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we actually can handle more anxiety than we ever imagined we could.” (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream) According to Dr. Ludwig, once we face our fears and conquered them, it can “feel gratifying and rewarding.”
The reason people like to get scared is because of the rush of adrenaline that they get during the scare. As the article "Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream" says, "There’s also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment. The hormonal reaction we get when we are exposed to a threat or crisis can motivate this love of being scared. The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling." This shows that some people enjoy this feeling while being frightened.
ReplyDeleteOn a psychological point of view, it take us onto another level. As Dr. Ludwig states,"On a psychological level there's an appeal to vicariously experience what is forbidden, bizarre or dark." So as Taylor said, this is just another one one of those things that makes humans human.
*shivers* There are many people who just love the sensation of the "adrenaline rush" (Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream). On the other hand, others absolutely loathe that feeling. Many horror-lovers enjoy jump-scares and the feeling of their heart racing and anticipate for more. As the article states, "Experts know it’s not uncommon for people to want to push the envelope just to see just how much fear they can tolerate." It's like after one visit to a haunted house, you just want to jump out of your comfort zone and go to the 'scariest place in the world' (I don't know where that is).
ReplyDeleteFurthermore with the horror, For me, I get an aftereffect from watching anything under the category of horror. Even just 'stupid' looking horror movies make me feel uneasy. By the way, when we were little, us girls had our favorite dolls, but now with all these movies, we don't want anywhere near us. I'm very superstitious, so if I have any dolls still lying around in my closet, I clean them out. During the day I'm don't really mind watching or reading scary things, but as the sun sets behind the hills, it eventually gets to me. As a result, I would rather be the person who's the scary one, not the one who's getting scared. In other words, not the one who likes to be scared.
I think people just want to have a good scare and have an adrenalin rush. Some people are crazy and want to be scared until they fell so scared they have to wet themselves. I like being scared but not as much as some. " There is a great sense of satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we can actually handle more anxiety than we ever imagined we could" (today). People like to get out of their comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteNow all of the movies today are horror movies, and personally I don't like being scared that much. I get scared just when it gets dark outside, so I get pretty scared watching horror movies. Halloween is really fun and exciting to see the costumes that people wear. I think part of why people like being scared is to see the cool costumes and ideas people have to scare people.
Halloween is a day where endless screams flood the streets,but why do we enjoy the terror? As Taylor suggested,we usually do it for the adrenaline-pumping excitement. Being that I went to Fright Fest at Six Flags yesterday,I noticed that people attracted the zombies,clowns,etc. towards themselves to get attention from the zombies,clowns,etc. "There is a great sense of satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we actually can handle more anxiety than we ever imagined we could"(today.com). This shows that we like to push our anxiety to amazing heights to see how much fear we can take.
ReplyDeleteAnother way we can see this is due to hormones. According to today.com,we're drawn to an "adrenaline rush," when "we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally." This explains that when we sense a threat,we become more fearless-which we enjoy. In that case,enjoy the month of October where you can scream all you want and become a whole new person during Halloween.
-Kayla A.#1
"The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling."(Why we like to be scared: The science behind the scream) This is why humans are known to enjoy being scared. Humans want to feel more strong and powerful, and more intuitive. Therefore we are drawn to scary situations.
ReplyDeletepeople also feel accomplished after being scared. they might think that they have overcome a fear. They might be proud of themselves because they could take more anxiety than they thought. People feel energized, powerful, and acheived from scary situations, wanting them to get scared again. This is why people like getting scared and the science behind the scream
I think we like to be scare for the thrill of it and enjoyment. "There is great satisfaction when we can prove to ourselves we can handle more anxiety then we ever imagined we could" (article). This shows that we just like to be scared for the pure satisfaction of bein able to handle the scare. I think that we just like to be scared for Just the time of the month just to get a thrill in the year and to get the satisfactory of getting the scare, but not freaking out. As time progresses, we challenge ourselves and try to take on more extreme scares.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, we try to take on more extreme scares as we get older. We get more confident and less scared as we get older. So once were older, we use that as a way to take on some more scaring scares. That's why movies are rated, so that when you're old enough you can watch the really scary movies. Most people it Halloween, because it's the time of the year where they can pretend to be a scary or non scary character, and get to scare and get to be scared. I also like being scared for satisfaction of overcoming fear, and that's the same for everyone too I think!
~Juliana P.
As I learned in family life most children and young adults have extraordinary stranght when frightened or threatened. Strength in many cases makes people feel goo, and some people are admired for it. Who doesn't want to feel good? Being sacered horrificly and not reacting in a scared manner shows that you are strong. Or at least that's how we interpret this.
ReplyDeleteBeing scared also gives a rush or exhileration that humans love. It is the same reason we go on roller coasters and what not. I could bombard you with facts and exact quotes from article, but I'm attempting to give you a different perspective than the other 16 comments above me. This is why I'm giving you more of a human than scientificly reasoned argument. I happened to be in a large gathering, so I decided to ask people what they thought about being scared. One person said, "We like to be scared on halloween and creeped out by all these unreal things because the fear of these keeps us from thinking of our innermost fears most often." Since screaming is hormonal it could also have to do with the adolecent mind, and where it's priorities and worries are. As my six grade teacher once said, " it's just the hormones."
I think people like being scared at somethings is because they want to feel a rush of excitement. They may want to prove that they can withstand a horrors within a haunted house. From the article "There’s also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment." This shows people in general get rush of excitement. Also I think people it may not think its fun to be scared but just enjoy going to scary places with others or prove to their friends that they aren't afraid of some things.
ReplyDelete"Creepy stories help us to release strong emotions. Let’s face it, most of us, in our daily lives, don’t have a way to release these types of intense and unimaginable feelings (which is probably a good thing). There are benefits to let go of these pent up fears and let them run their course when we have the chance" states the article. This shows that getting scared lets us release the energized feelings we have. I think people just enjoy getting scared with their friends or family. On the other hand this makes me think what about the scary things that don't make us excited but the things that worry and scare us like ebola.
This is the ghost of period 3..... BoOoOoO...
ReplyDeleteI think that people like being scared because they want to feel the thrill or excitement of being scared. "When we have the daylights frightened out of us our heart beats a little faster, we breathe a bit more intensely, perspire more and get butterflies in the pit of our stomachs."(Today.com) This shows that we like being scared, and that it makes us feel strong.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason is because it amuses us. Have you ever been with your friends and you get scared, then you burst with laughter. If you're not the one laughing, then your friends are probably laughing at your reaction. As you can see, being scared can make us feel strong, give us rush of adrenaline, or just make us laugh.
- Apolo L.
ReplyDeletePeople like being scared for many reasons, but for the most part we like it because our brains tell that we do. When we experience fear, our brains produce various chemicals. Like Dr.Ludwig says, we get ,"adrenaline rushes, which our brains are drawn to". Dopamine is also produced, and since dopamine is part of the body's reward system, we end up liking the scary things. "Viewing scenes with anger and vengeance and violence that don't even involve us can nonetheless cause our own anger and aggression to burn off, as though they're being satisfied", (VSauce's video "Why are we morbidly curious"). This is also proof that violent video games do not cause violence, but in fact relief stress that may cause violence.
We also like scary things because we are curious about them. Curiosity is fueled by imagination. When we watch things like this, we often wonder what we would do in scary movies. They also make us feel stronger and attentive. To quote the Doctor,"Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster, and cleverer and stronger". We love fear because it empowers us.
On a completely unrelated note, this article did seem strikingly similar to the Vsauce video I mentioned before.
K. A. 2
I feel that people like being scared because of the hormonal and psychological effects on the body. When the mind senses danger, the body gives off adrenaline to make the mind "feel better". If something scares us, the body releases endorphins, dopamine and norepinephrine. Endorphins mitigate pain, and dopamine and norepinephrine enhance performance. The body and mind feel almost invincible. It's like being on a roller coaster. Once you start going up that giant hill, you start to sweat and feel excited. That's just the adrenaline.
ReplyDelete"There’s also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment. The hormonal reaction we get when we are exposed to a threat or crisis can motivate this love of being scared. The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling," states Dr. Robi Ludwig. The acceptance of this adrenaline rush and if the person likes it depends on the situation and person. Some people do not like being scared. Horror movies and haunted houses may cause different effects on a person. While it may release the same hormones and chemicals, the persons mind and body might interperet these chemicals differently based on past experiences and instincts.
I think people like to be scared to experience a bunch of different scenarios of spooky things, like discovering who a murderer was, (i'm referring to scary movies) but in a safe way. As the article said, " Horror films in particular allow us to explore the experience of fear in an enjoyable and safe way." This basically, means watching scary movies allows us to experience something that seems fun and exciting (uncovering a murder mystery, for example) and not get harmed in the process.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we tell scary stories to release emotions and imaginations, as the text has stated, " Let’s face it, most of us, in our daily lives, don’t have a way to release these types of intense and unimaginable feelings..." It's true that we don't and aren't able to do everyday. When we do so, those held in fears let loose and allows us to feel an adrenalin rush of excitement (or fear) that humans enjoy.
-Nikamarie F.
My view on why people like to be scared is on the fact that spooky and scary things make us feel intense emotions of enjoyment when one experiences fear. As stated in the article, "The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally." The feeling of strength and power over fear lets a person enjoy it by how emotions work. To a person, scary situations may appear exciting, different, interesting, which makes them enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally horror films appeal the audience in a way that makes them interested in horror. Movies may show situations which are uncommon in a daily life of a person, so a hormonal effect called the “adrenaline rush,” functions a person to feel such emotions. Horror can release tensed up feelings of someone which allows them to enjoy the feeling of being scared.
~Shreya S.
What's the appeal of the fright associated with creepy stories?
ReplyDelete"There's a long history of people being intensely curious about the 'dark side,' and trying to make sense of it," says Frank Farley, "Through movies, we're able to see horror in front of our eyes, and some people are extremely fascinated by it. They're interested in the unusual and the bizarre because they don't understand it and it's so different from our everyday lives."(webmd.com). This shows that people like to be scared because they want to explore the world of scary, which is different from our normal, boring lives, as Taylor said.
Also, Dr. Ludwig says,"There's also a hormonal component when it comes to fear and enjoyment. The hormonal reaction we get when we are exposed to a threat or crisis can motivate this love of being scared. "The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong and powerful physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This charge to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling."(today.com) this shows that the adrenaline rush gets us motivated to see scary things, and as Jaime said, that when we feel threatened, we become more fearless.