Horror films and haunted houses calm me down. Is something wrong?

There are few things in life that bring me more comfort than the roar of a chainsaw.

Something about horror has always brought me a deep sense of peace. Scary movies never put me to sleep on planes. “Hereditary” was my favorite watch when I was recovering from septum surgery a couple of years ago. Slashers in particular, makes me feel meditative and contemplative. Haunted houses I also feel at home – and they make Halloween my favorite time of year.

Every fall I go through as many scary sights as possible. I make an annual pilgrimage to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, often visiting multiple times to soak in every gory detail. This year I also attended press previews for the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Creep X Ghosts LA Experience, both of which left me feeling relaxed and refreshed.

This all got me thinking… what is it about horror that I’m so drawn to? Why do haunted houses calm me down? And more importantly, is there something wrong with me?

It turns out that people are drawn to horror for a variety of reasons, many of which escape our awareness. While walking through haunted houses or turning on a horror movie to relax may seem ridiculous to some, in many ways it actually makes sense.

“In fact, as far as I understand, there are many more advantages (of fear) than disadvantages,” psychotherapist. Marnie Feuerman speaks. “We find that after they’ve been through something like this, people have a more calming state of mind.”

Why do people like me find horror relaxing?

I consider myself an anxious person, so my love of horror confuses friends and family. I am a chronic overthinker and often worry about the future. So why is everything good in the world when a masked man is waving a chainsaw in my face? Why do demons, ghosts, and killers calm me down, but sending me a hurtful email or text message stops me?

I talked to several therapists to get to the bottom of this. Two people immediately asked me the same question: Did I have a traumatic childhood?

Luckily, no, I tell them, my upbringing was generally pretty good. Both say they ask because sometimes those who have experienced trauma find horror comforting—a welcome, imagined distraction from their own pain. Some mental health professionals also believe that people seek out horror as a way to gain agency over their own trauma, although this view has become controversial.

“They are thought to have a compulsion to repeat the traumatic experience until they have mastered it, and therefore can no longer be internally threatened by it,” therapist. Eric Anderson speaks. “I think it’s probably a myth because we don’t have hard evidence to support it.”

My life hasn’t been too traumatic, but I’m very concerned. Is that why I like haunted houses?

Psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis says maybe. After all, people cope with anxiety in different ways. For some, horror is a useful way to relieve stress. For others, this only makes the situation worse.

One of the reasons anxious people may be attracted to horror is that it allows them to safely confront their fears and even have fun with them. Like other forms of gaming, such as video games, horror entertainment allows us to imagine ourselves in terrifying situations and ultimately feel as if we have experienced them.

This makes our worries seem less threatening—for example, if something terrible actually happens to us, we will be fine.

“It recreates environments that we might encounter in real life situations,” Anderson says. “If we play with them and find them enjoyable, we gain a greater sense of ownership over them.”

Does fear have health benefits? Yes, actually

Not to mention, it’s good to be scared every now and then.

Feuerman says that when we go through haunted houses, we get adrenaline rush. When this passes, our brain releases feel-good chemicals as a reward for surviving the perceived danger.

These chemicals cause a feeling of euphoria, and it’s nice to experience that relief, at least from time to time.

“It’s like an emotional reset,” Feuerman says. “There are some studies that even say people feel more resilient afterwards. It’s like they’ve tested themselves that they can get through some of these scary, more difficult types of experiences, and it makes them feel pretty good and pretty strong.” “

After talking to these therapists, I’m still not entirely sure why I like haunted houses. Maybe I’m just ordinary adrenaline junkie. Perhaps they make me feel more resilient. Or maybe it’s something deeper.

Haunted houses are one of the few places where I don’t worry about my life and what the future holds. I’m not worried about the economy or divisive presidential election. Inside the haunted house, none of this seems to matter. All that matters is the maniac with the chainsaw in front of me.

There is something beautiful about this.

“You are in a haunted house. People jump out at you. You are present,” Anderson says. “You are in the present moment, identifying with this task in front of you, going through this experience. And, indeed, it sounds much closer to well-being than suffering when you sit in your office and wonder. about what’s next and what you still need to do, and about how other people treat you.”

Surrounded by fake zombies and cannibals, I feel grounded, aware and focused like nowhere else. These monsters remind me to stop and pay attention to the present moment, because that’s all we have.

And when I do this, life doesn’t seem so scary anymore.