Name: Exploring the science of fear
Uploaded: 2025-10-25T14:37:21.263Z
Duration: 2 min 37 s
Description: Fear is usually an unpleasant emotion — but it may actually be good for us. Michelle Miller takes a look at the science of fear.

Fear is usually an unpleasant emotion — but it may actually be good for us. Michelle Miller takes a look at the science of fear.

The article examines why people are drawn to experiences that induce fear, such as haunted houses, and the science behind these reactions. Using health trackers and expert commentary, it highlights how fear triggers physiological responses like increased heart rate, and how individuals use strategies to manage or amplify their fear. 

Research suggests that both 'white knucklers' and thrill seekers find enjoyment in mastering their fear, which can provide a sense of relief and stress release. Experts note that experiencing fear in a safe, controlled environment can be a healthy way to test personal limits and cope with everyday stress.

Exploring the science of fear

All across America, folks are staging to get scared straight. A multi-million dollar business drums up interest long before fright night. My palms sweating, my head sweating, I felt the anxiety. I can't breathe, my heart's racing so fast. Jim Lorenzo has owned the Blood Manor Haunted House in New York. People love excitement. For 20 years. So fear is fun. Fear is fantastic. Fear is really, really fun. For a scaredy-cat. So we're about to start the show and see just how far I could go. This assignment didn't require much. I see you! But a health tracker offered the evidence Dr. Selene Gounder needed to show how the scares affected my heart rate. You start off with a pretty low heart rate, 60s. A haunted house call, so to speak. We see your heart rate max out at about 100. You must have had a good start all there. And then it comes down, back up again, and then down as you're getting more relaxed, coming out. Now you said you closed your eyes for a lot of it. Why were you closing your eyes? Yeah, I think I was fighting the fear. A 2019 study backs that up, finding white knucklers tried to minimize the fear by using strategies like closing their eyes, while thrill seekers sought to amplify it. In both cases, the thrill came from mastering the fear. What is it about a good scare? So the idea here is that you're testing your limits. You are eliciting that fright or flight or freeze response. And when you do that, you get this rush, this high, and then you kind of release that energy, right? So if you're stressed out, you come out of it like, ah, right? Exhale. Exhale. You get that exhale. Is it good for you? Well, it is in the sense that it's testing your limits. It can be a stress relief. And to do it in a safe way, there are dangerous ways to get that high, but this is a safe way to get the high. Triggers to fear are easy to find. For a brief moment when the ghosts and goblins jump out at you this Halloween season, remember a little artificial fright can be the escape, offering the chance to face fear and we now know relieve the stress of real life.

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