How Horror Movies Can Improve Your Health

Spooky Benefit #1: They Give You An Adrenaline Boost

Adrenaline is what makes you jump with a racing heart, but it’s also great for giving
you a little burst of energy and focus.

It can also inspire a good mood, even if the movie is scary.

Spooky Benefit #2: They Can Burn Up To 200 Calories

If you’re tense, your heart is pounding, and your breath is heavy, it means your body
is working hard.

That means that you’re actually burning off calories — even while just sitting on the
couch.

It seems like all those shivers and jumps really add up to something!

Spooky Benefit #3: Your Brain Will Release Dopamine And Serotonin

When you feel a flood of relief when the main character gets away, that’s actually a
chemical reaction.

Your brain reacts to the emotional roller coasters of horror movies by releasing
chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate to keep you feeling good.

That’s why any thrill — whether it’s a scary movie or a literal roller coaster — leaves
us feeling good, and maybe even a little loopy.

Spooky Benefit #4: They Relieve Stress

After a stressful day, a horror movie can be weirdly calming. That’s because even the
scarier parts of it actually have a cathartic effect for us.

While we’re meant to identify with the main protagonists, we also can’t help but
sometimes identify with whatever spooky creature is causing all the mayhem.

It lets us vicariously vent our annoyances, thus calming us down.

Spooky Benefit #5: They Can Boost Your Immune System

Perfect for cold season, horror movies have been shown to boost activity in your
white blood cells — the cells that fight off infections.

A study showed that after watching a horror movie, both men and women saw an
increase in their white blood cells’ activity, booting bacteria and viruses out of the
body.

Spooky Benefit #6: They Increase Brain Activity

A major component of horror movies is the element of mystery.

What happened in that haunted mansion? What’s really terrorizing the town? And
most of all, how are our characters going to ever get out of this?

While we’re watching, we’re coming up with theories and questions about the plot,
and our mind is working to figure out what’s going on. This is great exercise for your
brain.

Spooky Benefit #7: They Help Us Safely Face Our Fears

We all have something in the real world that scares us, and whatever it is, someone’s
probably made a horror movie about it.

Movies about scary subjects let us get close to the things that trouble us without
putting ourselves in any real danger. And the closer we get, the more we can start to
overcome it.

Spooky Benefit #8: They Help Us Solve Real World Problems

After watching some kids beat an interdimensional monster, you might find that
facing down a spider in the kitchen seems a little less scary.

Horror movies don’t just scare us, but they also show us different ways of problem
solving. So when we’re faced with a problem in our lives, we might be better
equipped at coming up with a solution.

Spooky Benefit #9: They Bring Us Closer To Our Loved Ones

It’s just not a horror movie experience without another hand to squeeze. Horror
movies strengthen bond between friends, family, and loved ones because you can all
get scared together while also supporting one another.

Naturally, horror movies have to be approached with some common sense. Make sure
a movie is appropriate if children are around, and anything too stressful or full of
jump scares should be avoided by people with cardiac issues or with a history of
trauma.