In the wake of Halloween everyone is coming
off of what seemed to turn into a week of partying, candy highs, and possibly
the thrill of being scared. If you watched the video above it is likely
that you will never have the power to inflict a scare like Ellen Degeneres.
Lucky for the rest of us, October 31st is the one day of the year where it is
socially acceptable to intentionally scare someone. Halloween would not
be the same if you didn't have the chance to go through haunted trails and
anticipate how much fear you will experience. Nothing sounds more fun than
having a random stranger with a chainsaw chase you around in public
right?
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| collegehumor.com |
There is a reason why we crave this typically
discomforting raise in adrenaline. Joseph LeDoux professor at the Center for
Neutral Science at New York University explains that "it is a safe way to
trigger an arousal response and some people find that pleasurable and
enjoyable" This explains that it is not the haunted house so much as the
emotions and experiences that make a thrill so addicting. The brain has
specific processes that respond and react to fear. Anything that leads to
heightened awareness, such as being chased by someone imitating a zombie,
triggers a response that leads you to transition into self protection mode.
You may not necessarily be scared at the sight of what you are seeing,
but rather alerted because of the loud noisesand commotion. LeDoux claims
that "because the brain stem controls this, startle responses are purely
reflexive."
Have you ever noticed how some people don't
seemed phased by these inflicted scares? This is because among individuals,
especially young developing adults, there are variations in the amygdala which
is what controls how you chose to react to a situation. Some people have
higher or lower quantities of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol which
are release during emotional reactions. Whether you run in pure terror
without purposeful direction, or reflexively punch the intruder in the face,
your chemical composition is what compels you to react in a certain way.
Because hormones come into play activating
response neurons in the brain, individuals can learn to crave this chemical
release. In the same way that running, smoking, or meditation release stress a
fear response is a rapid high and release of the same chemicals. The goal
of turning on a Steven King movie or checking out the haunted trail is all in
hope of activating these bodily responses. This desire is similar to why
some people chose to go base jumping or hang-glide over mountain ranges, better
known as adrenaline junkies. Arousal is the end result and makes the
experience a new definition of enjoyable.
Learn more about where this information was found!
-RV
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