Why do we still get scared when watching horror movies even though we know it’s all acting?

【Written at the end】

In primitive environments, fear and negative emotions often indicate danger, making primitive people alert to their surroundings to ensure survival. Curious babies who are not alert eventually "curiosity kills the cat". Over time, the gene of fear is preserved and becomes the survival wisdom written in the genes. Fear is automatic and uncontrollable in many cases, which is also the reason for the sudden onset of panic anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In real life, men, people with low empathy, and people with high sensation seeking and aggression tend to prefer fear and violence. In addition, as people age, their ability to recognize and regulate emotions increases, their emotions gradually become more stable, and they are less likely to be frightened. Therefore, adults are less likely to be frightened, while young people are more likely to feel terror. The girl in the story never tires of playing in the haunted house, while the boy is very scared, mainly because the girl has developed a certain "immunity" from playing in it frequently.

References

[1]Öhman A, Rück C. Four Principles of Fear and Their Implications for Phobias[J]. 2007.

[2]Nummenmaa L. Psychology and neurobiology of horror movies[J]. 2021.

[3]Adolphs R. The biology of fear[J]. Current biology, 2013, 23(2): R79-R93.

Planning and production

Source: Higher-end humans

Review | Li Jingjing Professor and Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin