It’s dark and a killer is on the loose, terrorizing the residents of a neighborhood or an entire city. This is usually the main plot of horror movies and TV shows and even video games.

Some people cannot stand such stories and avoid them. But there are others who watch them without feeling uncomfortable. The “paradox of horror” is that fear can be funny under certain circumstances. And the entertaining form of horror, as it has been characterized, can (and does) actually do us good.

Entertaining with a sense of horror is “a very important learning tool,” Matthias Klassen, director of the Fun Horror Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, told The Washington Post. “We learn about the dangers of the world and our own reactions: what is it like to be afraid? how much fear can I take?

Recently, horror films have become more popular. In a recent Klassen study of more than 1,000 Americans, 55% said they were horror movie fans. However, according to the Director of the Laboratory, horror films are not the only genre that people enjoy.

Many of those who don’t consider themselves horror fans enjoy podcasts about true crimes and novels that involve violence and murder. Others may like documentaries about nature and predators.

The idea of ​​horror is present in our lives from a young age with games like hide and seek. “I haven’t met a single person who didn’t like entertaining horror stories even a little,” said the director.

So why do we love horror stories? The researchers say it’s a combination of adrenaline and the opportunity to learn how to deal with scary situations in a safe environment.

When we are afraid, the endocrine system releases adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol to prepare our body for action. We know Michael Myers’ Halloween movie series isn’t based on real events, but our brains are still reacting to the idea of ​​a knife threat. The study found that watching horror films activates parts of the brain that “react” to threats as if the danger was real.

By identifying what causes fear and fear, people can better control their emotional state. Experts say that over time, “viewers can learn to manage their emotions because they express them in a safe place.”

And there is evidence that playing with fear often can help when real threats arise. At the beginning of the pandemic, horror movie fans appeared to be more psychologically resilient. Playing with fear helps us learn what our body does when we’re in danger and “how to deal with it when we’re actually in a scary situation or not,” Klansen explained.

According to The Washington Post