There’s something about creeping slowly through a haunted house, curling yourself small as you turn the corner, just waiting for whatever’s about to scare the s**t out of you. And somehow, it’s fun. But why do we do that? Why do people pay to be terrified when real fear feels so awful?
Dr. Frederic Bertley, CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), calls fear “one of the brain’s most fascinating tricks.” It’s our built-in alarm system, designed to keep us alive, but in the right setting, it becomes entertainment. “The moment something startles us, the brain’s alarm system, the amygdala, kicks into gear,” he explained. “Your heart races, your pupils dilate, and your body floods with adrenaline before you even have time to think.”
That instant fight-or-flight reaction is ancient, wired into us long before haunted hayrides or horror films. When the threat turns out to be fake, like a prank, a jump scare, or a costumed clown, the brain hits reset. Fear flips into relief, and that emotional whiplash often comes out as laughter. It’s the body’s way of saying we’re safe now, and the reward is a rush that somehow feels oddly good.
Why People Love Being Scared: A Scientific Breakdown
Not everyone chases that feeling. “It’s both biology and biography,” said Dr. Bertley. Some people are naturally drawn to the adrenaline, while others grew up linking fear with danger, not fun. Someone who watched scary movies with their family growing up might associate fear with laughter, while another person connects it to real anxiety. The line between thrilling and traumatizing is deeply personal.
So why do we keep coming back? “Humans are wired to seek out experiences that break from the everyday,” Dr. Bertley said. A haunted house or slasher flick lets us flirt with danger from a safe distance. The tension between I shouldn’t like this and but I’m fine becomes its own kind of high.
Fear hasn’t disappeared in modern life—it’s just evolved. Instead of lions, it’s speeding cars, or loud bangs in a crowd. “Our environment has changed,” Dr. Bertley said, “but biology hasn’t.”
Fear didn’t evolve into something new. We did. The biology is exactly the same, but we’ve repackaged that thrill into entertainment.
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