<p>I imagine individual differences in enjoyment derived from horror films would be multifaceted as with most preferences regarding consumption of different media. Some of the research mentions how males, teenagers/young adults, sensation seekers, and those who have a history of exposure to horror films (although this may be both cause and effect) tend to like horror films more.</p>

<p><strong>Sensation seeking</strong>: You might want to look into the personality trait <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensation_seeking" rel="nofollow">sensation seeking</a></strong>. To quote Wikipedia quoting the originator of the concept, <a href="http://bigthink.com/users/marvinzuckerman" rel="nofollow">Marvin Zuckerman</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Sensation seeking is a personality trait defined by the search for
  experiences and feelings, that are "varied, novel, complex and
  intense", and by the readiness to "take physical, social, legal, and
  financial risks for the sake of such experiences." (Zuckerman, 2009). Risk is not an
  essential part of the trait, as many activities associated with it are
  not risky.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Zuckerman</strong> discusses the <a href="http://bigthink.com/users/marvinzuckerman#!video_idea_id=17535" rel="nofollow">psychology of horror films in this video</a> (see <a href="http://bigthink.com/ideas/17535" rel="nofollow">transcript here</a>). He frames sensation seeking in terms of habituation. Thus, the more horror films that a person has seen, the more intense the horror would need to be in order to induce the same rewarding level of arousal.</p>

<p>Exploring the concept of sensation seeking may also move you more towards a more primary concept of why people seek such arousal inducing experiences. You could for instance read <strong>Roberti's (2004)</strong> literature review of the biological and behavioural correlates of sensation seeking. In particular, see section 4 on biological characteristics related to sensation seeking:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Zuckerman (1994, 1996) has proposed a multi-level approach in which
  sensation is a product of interactions between neurotransmitter
  systems (Zuckerman, 1996). Agonistic and antagonistic interactions of
  biological correlates are related to sensation seeking. Biochemical
  mechanisms provide major support for the relation of sensation seeking
  and associated biological systems (Balada et al., 1993; Ballenger et
  al., 1983; Daitzman &amp; Zuckerman, 1980; Dellu et al., 1996; Gerra et
  al., 1999; Netter et al., 1996; Piazza et al., 1993; Ruegg et al.,
  1997; Zuckerman, 1984, 1991a; Zuckerman et al., 1980).</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Tamborini and Stiff (1987)</strong> studied the appeal of horror movies:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A survey was conducted to determine the antecedents of the exposure to
  and appeal of horror films. Audience members leaving the theater after
  viewing Halloween II were interviewed using a questionnaire that
  contained measures of specific reasons for liking horror films as well
  as measures of several individual-difference variables. A model
  emerged from structural equation analysis indicating that <strong>three
  important factors in the appeal of horror films are (a) the audience's
  desire to experience the satisfying resolutions usually provided in
  these films, (b) the audience's desire to see the destruction often
  found in these films, and (c) the sensation-seeking personality traits
  of audience members for these films</strong>. In addition, age and gender were
  important predictors. <strong>Horror films were enjoyed more by males and by
  younger viewers.</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Tamborini, Stiff and Zillman (2006)</strong> summarise existing research linking sensation seeking with horror film preference:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Several studies  have  attempted to  investigate  the  relationship 
  between the attraction to horror films and sensation seeking. The
  first  attempt to  look at  this  issue was reported by  Sparks
  (1984), who  correlated his own 20-item scale measuring Enjoyment of 
  Frightening  Films (EFF) with the Sensation-Seeking Scale, and found
  an overall  positive correlation between the two for both males (r=
  .22,p= .01) and  females (r = .28, p = .01). A second study (Tamborini
  &amp; Stiff, 1984) also  found an association between the liking of horror
  films and a measure of  sensation seeking computed from  the 
  combination of  disinhibition,  experience seeking, and thrill and
  adventure seeking scores (r= .14,p=  .05).  Finally, Edwards (1984)
  found a strong correlation between the  entire Sensation-Seeking Scale
  and interest in horror movies (r = 51, p  &lt; .001). Unfortunately, the
  articles by Sparks (1984) and Tamborini and  Stiff  (1984) do  not 
  report the  correlations between  the  individual  subdimensions of 
  the Sensation-Seeking Scale and their measures of  attraction to
  horror films. This information is of particular interest to us  if  we
  want  to understand the  appeal found  in  horror  since  these 
  subdimensions are thought to be unique. The study by Edwards (1984) 
  does  provide  information  in  this  regard,  however.  According  to
  Edwards, each of  the subdimensions is correlated to interest in
  horror  films with disinhibition having the strongest relationship (r
  = .54, p &lt;  .001), followed by boredom susceptibility (r = .41,p &lt; .001), experience  seeking (r= .39,p &lt; .001), and thrill and adventure
  seeking (r= .24, P &lt;   .01).</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>References</h3>

<ul>
<li>Balada, F., Torrubia, R., &amp; Maria Arque, J. (1993). Gonadal hormone correlates of sensation seeking and
anxiety in healthy human females. Neuropsychobiology, 27, 91–96.</li>
<li>Ballenger, J. C., Post, R. M., Jimerson, D. C., Lake, C. R., Murphy, D., Zuckerman, M., &amp; Cronin, C.
(1983). Biochemical correlates of personality traits in normals: An exploratory study. Personality and
Individual Diﬀerences, 4, 615–625.</li>
<li>Daitzman, R. J., &amp; Zuckerman, M. (1980). Disinhibitory sensation seeking and gonadal hormones.</li>
<li>Dellu, F., Piazza, P. V., Mayo, W., Le Moal, M., &amp; Simon, H. (1996). Novelty-seeking in rats:
Biobehavioral characteristics and possible relationship with the sensation seeking trait in man.
Neuropsychobiology, 34, 136–145.
Personality and Individual Diﬀerences, 1, 103–110.</li>
<li>Gerra, G., Avanzini, P., Zaimovic, A., Sartori, R., Bocchi, C., Timpano, M., Zambelli, U., Delsignore, R.,
Gardini, F., Talarico, E., &amp; Brambilla, F. (1999). Neurotransmitters, neuroendocrine correlates of
sensation-seeking temperament in normal humans. Neuropsychobiology, 39, 207–213.</li>
<li>Netter, P., Hennig, J., &amp; Roed, I. S. (1996). Serotonin and dopamine as mediators of sensation seeking
behavior. Neuropsychobiology, 34, 155–165.</li>
<li>Piazza, P. V., Deroche, V., Deminiere, J. M., Maccari, S., Le Moal, M., &amp; Simon, H. (1993).
Corticosterone in the range of stress-induced levels possesses reinforcing properties: Implications for
sensation seeking behaviors. National Academy of Science, 90, 11738–11742.</li>
<li>Roberti, J.W. (2004). A review of behavioral and biological correlates of sensation seeking. Journal of research in personality, 38, 256-279. <a href="ftp://psyftp.mcmaster.ca/dalywilson/Papers/DawnPatrol/SSSReview.pdf" rel="nofollow">PDF</a></li>
<li>Ruegg, R. G., Gilmore, J., Ekstrom, R. D., Corrigan, M., Knight, B., Tancer, M., Leatherman, M. E.,
Carson, S. W., &amp; Golden, R. N. (1997). Clomipramine challenge responses covary with tridimensional
personality questionnaire scores in healthy subjects. Biological Psychiatry, 42, 1123–1129.</li>
<li>Tamborini, R. &amp; Stiff, J. (1987). Predictors of Horror Film Attendance and Appeal An Analysis of the Audience for Frightening Films. Communication Research, 14, 415-436.</li>
<li>Tamborini, R., Stiff, J. &amp; ZILLMAN, D. (2006). Preference for graphic horror featuring male versus female victimization. Human Communication Research, 13, 529-552.</li>
<li>Zuckerman, M. (1984). Sensation seeking: A comparative approach to a human trait. Behavioral and Brain
Sciences, 7, 413–471.</li>
<li>Zuckerman (2009). "Chapter 31. Sensation seeking". In Leary, Mark R. &amp; Hoyle, Rick H.. Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guildford Press. pp. 455–465.</li>
<li>Zuckerman, M. (1991a). Psychobiology of personality. New York: Cambridge University Press.</li>
<li>Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation seeking. New York:
Cambridge Press.</li>
<li>Zuckerman, M. (1996). The psychobiological model for impulsive unsocialized sensation seeking: A
comparative approach. Neuropsychobiology, 34, 125–129.</li>
<li>Zuckerman, M., &amp; Neeb, M. (1980). Demographic inﬂuences in sensation seeking and expressions of
sensation seeking in religion, smoking and driving habits. Personality and Individual Diﬀerences, 1,
197–206.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-12T04:28:44.553Z
2012-10-12T04:28:44.553Z
Jeromy Anglim
<p>I would speculate that the answer lies within mirror neurons.  By watching the film, our mirror neurons are firing, so we have that empathatic connection to the film.</p>

<p>When you see a person throwing darts, at the same time, your mirror neurons are firing, and the part of your brain that would control your hand movements (ie, thorwing a dart) are activated, although the signal doesn't actually go to the muscles in your hands to start moving....</p>

<p>When we watch a horror film, and we see a person in the movie feeling tremendous fear, our mirror neurons fire up, and we feel that same emotion, to an extent.</p>

<p>Not to mention that often times, when watching a movie, we enter a hypnotic state, which in of itself is a "flight" mechanism.</p>

<p>So, when we watch the horror films, we are subconsciously experiencing the emotions portrayed, and depending on how deeply engrossed we are in the movie (you can read that as "depeding on how deeply hypnotized we are while watching the movie") it can trigger a fight/flight response.</p>

<p>The second part of your question, why can one person enjoy this and another person does not...  That is a more complex question, as there are too many variables.   What, specifically, do they like?</p>

<p>For example, let's take coconuts.  Some people love coconuts.  Why do they love coconuts, but others cannot stand them?    What memories are triggered by the scent, taste, feel of the coconut?    For me, I cannot stand the texture, and the taste is not exciting, so in general I do not like coconuts, and I avoid food that has coconut.   But my friend absolutely LOVES coconuts.   Why does he like coconuts?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-12T06:38:45.683Z
2012-10-12T06:38:45.683Z
Jonathan S. Nowak C.Ht.
<p>Essentially, I understand the release of adrenaline can be addictive and that scary movies and events are a safe way of experiencing the drama without all the actual mess. but </p>

<p>However, if we are triggering our fight or flight response, then isn't suppressing it a separate chemical reaction, or at least an alternate one? </p>

<p>Is the release experienced more pleasurable for some people then others? Or is it a simple matter that staying in one's comfort zone is more enjoyable then the potential joy of a release? </p>

<emotion><motivation><physiology>
Can scary movies trigger fight or flight and why can a person enjoy this while another does not?
T. J. Napolitano
# Can scary movies trigger fight or flight and why can a person enjoy this while another does not?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-09-24)

Essentially, I understand the release of adrenaline can be addictive and that scary movies and events are a safe way of experiencing the drama without all the actual mess. but

However, if we are triggering our fight or flight response, then isn't suppressing it a separate chemical reaction, or at least an alternate one?

Is the release experienced more pleasurable for some people then others? Or is it a simple matter that staying in one's comfort zone is more enjoyable then the potential joy of a release?

**Tags:** emotion, motivation, physiology


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-10-12. Score: 4

I imagine individual differences in enjoyment derived from horror films would be multifaceted as with most preferences regarding consumption of different media. Some of the research mentions how males, teenagers/young adults, sensation seekers, and those who have a history of exposure to horror films (although this may be both cause and effect) tend to like horror films more.

**Sensation seeking**: You might want to look into the personality trait **[sensation seeking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensation_seeking)**. To quote Wikipedia quoting the originator of the concept, [Marvin Zuckerman](http://bigthink.com/users/marvinzuckerman).

> Sensation seeking is a personality trait defined by the search for
> experiences and feelings, that are "varied, novel, complex and
> intense", and by the readiness to "take physical, social, legal, and
> financial risks for the sake of such experiences." (Zuckerman, 2009). Risk is not an
> essential part of the trait, as many activities associated with it are
> not risky.

**Zuckerman** discusses the [psychology of horror films in this video](http://bigthink.com/users/marvinzuckerman#!video_idea_id=17535) (see [transcript here](http://bigthink.com/ideas/17535)). He frames sensation seeking in terms of habituation. Thus, the more horror films that a person has seen, the more intense the horror would need to be in order to induce the same rewarding level of arousal.

Exploring the concept of sensation seeking may also move you more towards a more primary concept of why people seek such arousal inducing experiences. You could for instance read **Roberti's (2004)** literature review of the biological and behavioural correlates of sensation seeking. In particular, see section 4 on biological characteristics related to sensation seeking:

> Zuckerman (1994, 1996) has proposed a multi-level approach in which
> sensation is a product of interactions between neurotransmitter
> systems (Zuckerman, 1996). Agonistic and antagonistic interactions of
> biological correlates are related to sensation seeking. Biochemical
> mechanisms provide major support for the relation of sensation seeking
> and associated biological systems (Balada et al., 1993; Ballenger et
> al., 1983; Daitzman & Zuckerman, 1980; Dellu et al., 1996; Gerra et
> al., 1999; Netter et al., 1996; Piazza et al., 1993; Ruegg et al.,
> 1997; Zuckerman, 1984, 1991a; Zuckerman et al., 1980).

**Tamborini and Stiff (1987)** studied the appeal of horror movies:

> A survey was conducted to determine the antecedents of the exposure to
> and appeal of horror films. Audience members leaving the theater after
> viewing Halloween II were interviewed using a questionnaire that
> contained measures of specific reasons for liking horror films as well
> as measures of several individual-difference variables. A model
> emerged from structural equation analysis indicating that **three
> important factors in the appeal of horror films are (a) the audience's
> desire to experience the satisfying resolutions usually provided in
> these films, (b) the audience's desire to see the destruction often
> found in these films, and (c) the sensation-seeking personality traits
> of audience members for these films**. In addition, age and gender were
> important predictors. **Horror films were enjoyed more by males and by
> younger viewers.**

**Tamborini, Stiff and Zillman (2006)** summarise existing research linking sensation seeking with horror film preference:

> Several studies have attempted to investigate the relationship
> between the attraction to horror films and sensation seeking. The
> first attempt to look at this issue was reported by Sparks
> (1984), who correlated his own 20-item scale measuring Enjoyment of
> Frightening Films (EFF) with the Sensation-Seeking Scale, and found
> an overall positive correlation between the two for both males (r=
> .22,p= .01) and females (r = .28, p = .01). A second study (Tamborini
> & Stiff, 1984) also found an association between the liking of horror
> films and a measure of sensation seeking computed from the
> combination of disinhibition, experience seeking, and thrill and
> adventure seeking scores (r= .14,p= .05). Finally, Edwards (1984)
> found a strong correlation between the entire Sensation-Seeking Scale
> and interest in horror movies (r = 51, p < .001). Unfortunately, the
> articles by Sparks (1984) and Tamborini and Stiff (1984) do not
> report the correlations between the individual subdimensions of
> the Sensation-Seeking Scale and their measures of attraction to
> horror films. This information is of particular interest to us if we
> want to understand the appeal found in horror since these
> subdimensions are thought to be unique. The study by Edwards (1984)
> does provide information in this regard, however. According to
> Edwards, each of the subdimensions is correlated to interest in
> horror films with disinhibition having the strongest relationship (r
> = .54, p < .001), followed by boredom susceptibility (r = .41,p < .001), experience seeking (r= .39,p < .001), and thrill and adventure
> seeking (r= .24, P < .01).

### References

* Balada, F., Torrubia, R., & Maria Arque, J. (1993). Gonadal hormone correlates of sensation seeking and
  anxiety in healthy human females. Neuropsychobiology, 27, 91–96.
* Ballenger, J. C., Post, R. M., Jimerson, D. C., Lake, C. R., Murphy, D., Zuckerman, M., & Cronin, C.
  (1983). Biochemical correlates of personality traits in normals: An exploratory study. Personality and
  Individual Diﬀerences, 4, 615–625.
* Daitzman, R. J., & Zuckerman, M. (1980). Disinhibitory sensation seeking and gonadal hormones.
* Dellu, F., Piazza, P. V., Mayo, W., Le Moal, M., & Simon, H. (1996). Novelty-seeking in rats:
  Biobehavioral characteristics and possible relationship with the sensation seeking trait in man.
  Neuropsychobiology, 34, 136–145.
  Personality and Individual Diﬀerences, 1, 103–110.
* Gerra, G., Avanzini, P., Zaimovic, A., Sartori, R., Bocchi, C., Timpano, M., Zambelli, U., Delsignore, R.,
  Gardini, F., Talarico, E., & Brambilla, F. (1999). Neurotransmitters, neuroendocrine correlates of
  sensation-seeking temperament in normal humans. Neuropsychobiology, 39, 207–213.
* Netter, P., Hennig, J., & Roed, I. S. (1996). Serotonin and dopamine as mediators of sensation seeking
  behavior. Neuropsychobiology, 34, 155–165.
* Piazza, P. V., Deroche, V., Deminiere, J. M., Maccari, S., Le Moal, M., & Simon, H. (1993).
  Corticosterone in the range of stress-induced levels possesses reinforcing properties: Implications for
  sensation seeking behaviors. National Academy of Science, 90, 11738–11742.
* Roberti, J.W. (2004). A review of behavioral and biological correlates of sensation seeking. Journal of research in personality, 38, 256-279. [PDF](ftp://psyftp.mcmaster.ca/dalywilson/Papers/DawnPatrol/SSSReview.pdf)
* Ruegg, R. G., Gilmore, J., Ekstrom, R. D., Corrigan, M., Knight, B., Tancer, M., Leatherman, M. E.,
  Carson, S. W., & Golden, R. N. (1997). Clomipramine challenge responses covary with tridimensional
  personality questionnaire scores in healthy subjects. Biological Psychiatry, 42, 1123–1129.
* Tamborini, R. & Stiff, J. (1987). Predictors of Horror Film Attendance and Appeal An Analysis of the Audience for Frightening Films. Communication Research, 14, 415-436.
* Tamborini, R., Stiff, J. & ZILLMAN, D. (2006). Preference for graphic horror featuring male versus female victimization. Human Communication Research, 13, 529-552.
* Zuckerman, M. (1984). Sensation seeking: A comparative approach to a human trait. Behavioral and Brain
  Sciences, 7, 413–471.
* Zuckerman (2009). "Chapter 31. Sensation seeking". In Leary, Mark R. & Hoyle, Rick H.. Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guildford Press. pp. 455–465.
* Zuckerman, M. (1991a). Psychobiology of personality. New York: Cambridge University Press.
* Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation seeking. New York:
  Cambridge Press.
* Zuckerman, M. (1996). The psychobiological model for impulsive unsocialized sensation seeking: A
  comparative approach. Neuropsychobiology, 34, 125–129.
* Zuckerman, M., & Neeb, M. (1980). Demographic inﬂuences in sensation seeking and expressions of
  sensation seeking in religion, smoking and driving habits. Personality and Individual Diﬀerences, 1,
  197–206.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-10-12. Score: -2

I would speculate that the answer lies within mirror neurons. By watching the film, our mirror neurons are firing, so we have that empathatic connection to the film.

When you see a person throwing darts, at the same time, your mirror neurons are firing, and the part of your brain that would control your hand movements (ie, thorwing a dart) are activated, although the signal doesn't actually go to the muscles in your hands to start moving....

When we watch a horror film, and we see a person in the movie feeling tremendous fear, our mirror neurons fire up, and we feel that same emotion, to an extent.

Not to mention that often times, when watching a movie, we enter a hypnotic state, which in of itself is a "flight" mechanism.

So, when we watch the horror films, we are subconsciously experiencing the emotions portrayed, and depending on how deeply engrossed we are in the movie (you can read that as "depeding on how deeply hypnotized we are while watching the movie") it can trigger a fight/flight response.

The second part of your question, why can one person enjoy this and another person does not... That is a more complex question, as there are too many variables. What, specifically, do they like?

For example, let's take coconuts. Some people love coconuts. Why do they love coconuts, but others cannot stand them? What memories are triggered by the scent, taste, feel of the coconut? For me, I cannot stand the texture, and the taste is not exciting, so in general I do not like coconuts, and I avoid food that has coconut. But my friend absolutely LOVES coconuts. Why does he like coconuts?


---

