Watching horror movies might help reduce anxiety

The genre is link with inducing a 'different' kind of adrenaline rush

Anxiety is a disorder when you feel worry and panic that disrupts everyday activities. According to Anxiety UK, 12.8% of the population is diagnosed more with anxiety than they were fourteen years ago.

You would think that watching horror movies that evoke fear and panic would be the wrong genre for someone with anxiety to see. Horror films can actually help ease symptoms of anxiety when you know you are in a safe environment and that what you see is not real, according to Teen Vogue.

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A writer, Abby Moss, feels that people suffering from anxiety might feel better after watching horror movies since they find a different kind of adrenaline - a kind that isn't associated with them.

"While horror films aren't a true alternative to seeking medical help if you need it, I was nevertheless inundated with responses from people saying they'd noticed the same thing. "I too have noticed horror movies make me feel better," said one user. "It creates a different anxiety, an anxiety that isn't about me, ya know?"' she wrote.

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A report in Vice concludes that living with anxiety feels like there is a sound or a shadow on every corner that hints at a monster that no one can see.

Being scared watching horror films is considered a rational thing to be afraid of compared to being afraid of things that are not there in the eyes of other people.

Watching a horror film is a way to escape the fears of real life. Horror films can be an addiction of its own. Psychotherapist John Kuziel says the hypothalamus triggers the fight or flight response which pumps up adrenaline, glucose, and cortisol in our bodies.

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This rush of adrenaline is what makes people want to see more horror films. Horror films make people with anxiety feel at ease because, according to Dr Mathias Clasen from Aarhus University, watching a horror film is a voluntary act and under controlled circumstances which will make someone feel safe compared to real-world dangers.

Just like when going on a rollercoaster, those with anxiety feel better watching horror films with someone else knowing they are getting through the same thing together. Horror films are not to be treated like a cure for anxiety but they can be a helpful tool to managing it.

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