Why Do Some People Love Horror Movies?

Fear is strong negative feeling and a good way for our brains to keep us out of danger, so why do some people seek it out by watching horror movies?

Hosted by: Brit Garner
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[Master_Therion]

I recently went to the theater to see a horror movie. The scariest part was the price of popcorn.

[LMAccount]

I always knew Hank was a murderous ghost

[davidalexallen]

lmao ghosty Hank running around at the beginning

[antonmaa]

I only watch horror movies because they're technically also mystery movies. The circumstances behind the monsters are usually mysterious and that increases my curiosity.

[michaeldaugustine]

What's your favorite type of horror movie? I like psychological thrillers the best, ones that really screw with your head and stick in your head for weeks better than ones where it's just slash and gore

[MissCin]

so basically I'm dead inside and want to feel a little less dead by watching others die on screen?

[karwallabear]

As one who hates scary movies, I will have nightmares from ghost Hank. Thanks, SciShow🙄

[jannism]

1:51 Tbh the psycho bunny looks way scarrier to me than the stoned shark

[sparky]

I love horror movies because they are a stress relief for me. The emotions I feel watching horror are more intense than any feelings of sadness or anxiety I may otherwise be experiencing, and horror movies distract me from those feelings.

[DragonDoomLord]

It's weird, I'm highly empathetic (as described by the different psycologists I have had through different years) and I love horror, but, I'm not fond of gore, my favorite horror is psychological and surreal, specially in games.

And on more standard horror I find the more I feel the characters are real or I care for them, the work is way more enjoyable, because I want to see those people get through. But most horror movies, generally gory ones, tend to focus more on having unlikeable caricatures to get violently chopped up, and I just don't feel any fear or, anything but boredom, because the people just don't feel like anyone believable or that I can care for at all, making me not get into the work at all and how fake it all is.

[Dollightful]

Ahh, this was great! I married a man who is a huge horror fan, and it took me years to understand why. How could this calm, responsible person I love seek out and enjoy such awful on-screen things? Was he secretly a phsychopath?? Eventually, thanks to seeking out scientific explainations like this and easing into to the horror genre myself, I'm not so worried about him anymore. Haha

[ProfessorPolitics]

Out of curiosity, did any of the studies consider the difference between different kinds of horror? I love watching monster movies and psychological horror but I nope the heck out when the movies are all about jump scares.

[davidgoldnrose]

I love fear, but I have anxiety and an overactive imagination. Couple that with horror movies isn't a good idea. But I love reading creepypastas

[mattscatterty]

I would LOVE to see a video that focuses more on the empathy aspects of things. Empathy reactions in people watching horror, or empathy in people watching other genres or dramas with different types of character struggles.

[BagelCollector]

I just feel like horror has the best stories, it explores extraordinary things in a grounded setting, unlike fantasy where extraordinary things are explored in a... extraordinary setting. Horror lets crazy scenarios play out and lets humanity/individuals respond genuinely to what is happening.

[ArcaneOwlchemist]

I watched this entire video afraid that they would throw in a jumpscare just to be jerks. Glad that they didn't.

[TheBoss]

This has been one of the most interesting finding I've ever, well, found in any youtube video ever. I've never been capable of watching horror movies without getting too scared to enjoy them, but having just tried printing a picture of the movie's imdb page of caste faces made me finally have fun being scared. AWESOME!

[BBSKYWALKER]

My parents exposed me to horror movies since a very young age and I think that played a part. I consider myself emphatic as I cry easily in sad movies. I do feel scared for a few days after watching horror like everyone else does but the thought of watching the movie excites me.
Maybe because I've watched so many horror movies since young I am desensitised. I also developed a very 'movie critic' mindset. I am excited to see if the horror movie will actually be scary and balance character development well(so rare in horror movies). And it is a huge incentive for me to watch these movies.

[Shanoninoni]

You always wear the BEST shirts! Thanks for being awesome! Dftba!

[Lasolimu]

I don't like horror movies, and it's not because they're scary, it's generally because I don't find them scary at all.