Running head: YOUR BODY JUST OUTSMARTED FEAR 1

Your Body Just Outsmarted Fear

Gabriela García Castellanos

Mindful Community School

World Literature

Ms. Kristhyna Fermin

 YOUR BODY JUST OUTSMARTED FEAR 2

Instructions

An explanatory essay is a type of writing in which the author presents their point of view

on a certain topic, event or situation. This view does not necessarily have to be one that the

writer agrees with, but it must have some research and logic to make it feasible

Your essay must address the topic of fear in literature in a page and a half to two pages

long. Your paper must adhere to APA format guidelines. ​Due date: Thursday, September

19th​.

Evaluation Rubric

pts Focus and Organization Evidence and Elaboration Conventions

4 The introduction engages the reader and states a thesis in a
compelling way.
The informative essay includes a clear introduction, body,
and conclusion.
The conclusion summarizes ideas and offers fresh insight
into the thesis.
The essay includes specific reasons, details, The essay uses standard English conventions
facts, and quotations from selections and outside of usage and mechanics.
resources to support the thesis. The essay contains no spelling errors.
The tone of the essay is always formal and
objective. The language is always precise and
appropriate for the audience and purpose.

3 The introduction engages the reader and sets forth the
thesis. The essay includes an introduction, body, and
conclusion.
The conclusion summarizes ideas and supports the thesis.
The research includes some specific reasons,
details, facts, and quotations from selections and
outside resources to support the thesis.
The tone of the research is mostly formal and
objective. The language is generally precise and
appropriate for the audience and purpose.
The essay demonstrates general accuracy in
standard English conventions of usage and
mechanics.
The essay contains a few spelling errors.

2 The introduction sets forth the thesis.
The essay includes an introduction, body, and conclusion,
but one or more parts is weak.
The conclusion partially summarizes ideas but may not
provide strong support of the thesis.
The research includes a few reasons, details, The presentations demonstrate some accuracy
facts, and quotations from selections and outside in standard English conventions of usage and
resources to support the thesis. mechanics.
The tone of the research is occasionally formal The essay contains some spelling errors.
and objective.
The language is somewhat precise and
appropriate for the audience and purpose.

1 The introduction does not state the thesis clearly.
The essay does not include an introduction, body, and
conclusion.
The conclusion does not summarize ideas and may not
relate to the thesis.
Reliable and relevant evidence is not included. The essay contains mistakes in standard
The tone of the essay is not objective or formal. English conventions of usage and mechanics.
The language used is imprecise and not The essay contains many spelling errors.
appropriate for the audience and purpose.

TOTAL /12
DEDUCTIONS: Tardiness Incorrect Format Plagiarism Untidiness Other
__________________________________________________________________________

GRAND TOTAL /12

*Include this page when submitting your essay.
*After the deadline, each day that you do not submit your essay, you will lose 10% of the overall grade of the assignment. This accommodation is
granted FOR UP TO THREE (3) DAYS. *Plagiarism is an automatic zero (0) on the assignment.
YOUR BODY JUST OUTSMARTED FEAR 3

Your Body Just Outsmarted Fear

Within the body’s complexion, lies: logic, functionality, and some of the small mishaps

that conceive us as individuals. Inside this structure, we call body, quick psychological changes

can happen according to situations triggering our emotions and mental stability. For example,

during thrillers, jumpscares are very common. As said by Dickerson, when these types of things

happen, the amygdala which senses fear sends warnings to the brain because it thinks the person

could be in danger (2015). Because of this, by ​inducing fear in thrillers, they can trigger the way

our mind works.

Over the years, people have developed an obsession with the relation of fear and

watching thrillers. Psychologist Sarah Niblock points out that ​our obsession with true crime and

drama comes from the vicarious thrill of experiencing someone else’s problems, without having

to go through them ourselves. She explains that thrillers can actually relax us and let us

emotionally release (2018). When people constantly watch horror movies, they begin the

desensitization effect​, where people are less prone to get scared or become less reactive and as a

result lower their levels of anxiety. Nevertheless, when we are watching thrillers, the brain finds

it hard to differentiate between reality and fiction, making it scarier for the viewer. But because

every viewer is different, it always depends.

When the body is exposed to thrillers and terror in general, it undergoes both mental and

hormonal changes. One important thing to point out is that the body responds involuntarily to

fear. Either people freeze and not react, or involuntarily jump. Dickerson (2015) studied a

process called the “fight-or-flight” response which is controlled by hormones. This so-called
YOUR BODY JUST OUTSMARTED FEAR 4

process is automatic due to the fact that the “deep brain is ancient in terms of evolution and we

have almost no control over it” (Dickerson, 2015) because the body releases powerful hormones

affecting it entirely. Such hormones are Cortisol and Adrenaline. When we are watching these

types of movies, both Adrenaline and Cortisol spike (Braff, 2011). Cortisol specifically, is a

hormone that not only takes care of regulating the metabolism but also assists memory

formulation (Hormone Health Network, 2018). This means the brain can replay a terrifying

moment of the movie in people’s heads causing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or anxiety

perhaps (Dolenga, 2017). Another hormone that gets triggered while watching thrillers is the

Epinephrine hormone, most commonly known as Adrenaline. According to ​Harvard Health

Publishing,​ adrenaline stimulates the brain, makes your heart beat faster and rapid breathing after

receiving signals from the amygdala. Together, these hormones help alert the body about a threat

that is nearby (Tremblay, 2018). After watching these movies, the body undergoes side effects

like sleeplessness or even mental trauma. A study made by the University of Wisconsin,

Madison remarks the fact that teens or young adults watching horror movies might experience

anxiety conditions later in childhood or even paranoia.

To conclude, inside the brain’s complexity, an array of chemical symphonies happen

while watching thrillers or horror movies. People will always want to find the meaning of things,

and as humans, we always have the impulse to find out the why’s of our body. These reactions

are caused by hormones and thrillers will cause short or long term effects in our body. In the end,

factors may vary. It depends on the person, whether or not they can handle the movie, and if in

their past, they suffered a similar incident which in that case could cause long-lasting effects.  

 
 
 
YOUR BODY JUST OUTSMARTED FEAR 5

Reference Page:

https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2017/10/07/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-watch-a-sc

ary-movie/#targetText=Physical%20reactions%20to%20terrifying%20images,can%20have%20a%20desen

sitization%20effect.

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-when-you-are-scared-2015-10#targetTex

t=The%20reason%20is%20because%20a,adrenaline%2C%20also%20known%20as%20epineph

rine.

https://sciencing.com/your-body-on-a-horror-movie-13714006.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-xpm-2011-06-22-sc-health-0622-movies-im

pact-on-body-20110622-story.html

https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-z/hormones/cortisol

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

https://edinazephyrus.com/psychological-effects-of-horror-movies/

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a23490180/psychological-impact-obsession-crim

e-thrillers/