Some brains enjoy fear because fear triggers dopamine and endorphin release while psychological factors like sensation-seeking and protective safety frames allow individuals to find pleasure in controlled scary experiences, with therapeutic support helping those whose fear-seeking becomes problematic.

Ever wonder why your friend loves horror movies while you hide behind a pillow? The psychology behind why some brains enjoy fear reveals fascinating differences in brain chemistry and personality traits that explain these reactions.

Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?

It’s October, and your best friend has dragged you to every scary thrill imaginable – haunted houses, horror movies, and late-night corn mazes. While you’re happy to participate, you just don’t experience the same enjoyment they do. This difference may leave you wondering why some brains enjoy fear while others don’t. As it turns out, there may be several reasons why certain people are wired to seek out frightening situations. The desire to experience fear only becomes concerning when it leads to dangerous risk-taking behavior. If that describes you, working with a licensed clinical social worker through ReachLink’s telehealth platform might help you find safer ways to participate in fear-inducing activities.

The Science of Fear

Fear and anxiety are innate parts of being human. However, everyone experiences these feelings differently. For decades, scientists have investigated what causes fear and why some brains enjoy it more than others.

Biological and Psychological Mechanisms Behind Fear

According to research from psychology professor and scare specialist David Zald, our brain chemistry typically plays a significant role in whether we enjoy being scared.

For some individuals, fear can trigger the release of dopamine or endorphins—chemicals that generally produce natural feelings of happiness. Even brain structure can influence how you experience fear. People who frequently feel anxious typically have prefrontal cortexes that differ from those of other individuals.

Those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or panic disorders often have an underactive prefrontal cortex. In contrast, those with generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to have an overactive prefrontal cortex.

The Evolutionary Purpose of Fear

At its core, fear’s purpose is to keep us safe. Generally, our brains have evolved to fear objects and situations that put us in danger. For example, common phobias of snakes and spiders may have developed because humans once lived in environments dominated by reptiles, some of which were deadly.

Types of Fear Responses

You’ve likely heard how the fight or flight response activates when people are scared, but these aren’t the only possible reactions to feeling fear.

Some people freeze, unable to react at all. Others may exhibit the lesser-known fawn response. In this fear response, the person tries to act or speak in ways that mitigate the perceived danger. For instance, people who grew up in turbulent home environments might react to conflict by quickly giving in to what others want.

Why Do Some People Have Irrational Fears?

Start discussing fears in a group, and eventually, people will share fears that seem irrational to you. Someone might be so terrified of elevators that they’ll walk up 15 flights of stairs, or they might confess a fear of butterflies. To others, these feelings may appear irrational. However, they often develop through fear conditioning, which generally occurs when someone learns to associate particular stimuli with fear.

A classic example is the 1920 experiment at Johns Hopkins University involving “Little Albert.” During the study, Albert was given a white toy rat. As he played with it, the researcher would make a loud, startling noise behind his head. Eventually, Albert began to associate the toy with the unpleasant noise and developed a fear of the white rat.

Psychological Factors That Contribute to Enjoying Fear

Several factors can make fear enjoyable for some people. Let’s explore some factors that might resonate with you or people you know.

The Protective Frame

The ability to enjoy fear often requires a protective frame, defined as the ability to feel safe while scared. Researchers suggest there may be three kinds of protective frames:

1. Safety Frame: To enjoy fear, you may need to feel physically safe. The twists and turns of a roller coaster might leave your stomach in knots, but if you’re securely strapped in, you can enjoy the experience knowing no physical harm will come to you.
2. Detachment: You may need to psychologically detach from a scary experience. A horror movie can become pleasurable when you recognize that what’s happening isn’t real; everyone involved is an actor.
3. Confidence in Managing Danger: You may need to feel like you can control the danger you’re experiencing. If a bear appears on your front porch during a mountain vacation, you may panic. However, seeing a bear in a zoo enclosure is unlikely to trigger such a fearful response.

Sensation Seeking

Many people enjoy seeking sensation in some form. This may explain why people rush to buy the latest smartphone or dine at the newest restaurant in town. However, some individuals tend to constantly seek sensation, even when (or especially because) it causes fear.

High sensation-seeking personalities frequently pursue new and intense experiences, despite potential physical risks. These individuals often exhibit four personality traits:

1. Thrill and Adventure-Seeking: The risks of an activity may be downplayed or even celebrated. For some, the potential risk adds to the thrill.
2. Experience-Seeking: Sensation seekers may be interested in new experiences, such as traveling to exotic places or participating in the newest escape room.
3. Susceptibility to Boredom: These individuals may struggle with boredom. They’re often uninterested in routine and thrive on the excitement of change and the unexpected.
4. Disinhibition: High sensation-seekers are typically spontaneous and may act without fully considering the consequences of their behavior.

Exploration

Fear can serve as a tool for exploration in certain situations. Media like scary movies or horror podcasts can help us learn more about our world and consider how we might navigate frightening situations. Enjoying scary media may help us explore our darker side. For instance, listening to a true crime podcast enables you to learn about the psychology of someone who committed murder. You can learn who you are by learning who you are not.

Fear’s Impact on Mental Health

Some experts assert that occasional, healthy doses of fear can be beneficial. Recreational fear often surrounds us, and interest typically begins at a young age. Many babies enjoy the startle they feel during peek-a-boo. Toddlers may ask to be thrown into the air repeatedly. Children often beg to be pushed higher on swings. As they grow older, some people seek out extreme haunted houses or plan scary movie marathons.

Being scared may not only bring joy to people but can also alter how they respond to stressful situations. For example, people who enjoy horror movies were typically better equipped to handle the psychological stress of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Researchers believe that healthy fear in small doses can train the brain to cope with stress and anxiety. Learning to appropriately respond to controlled fear can help you handle stressful situations you don’t have as much control over.

Mathias Clasen, director of the Recreational Fear Lab, suggests that people with mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, may experience symptom relief when participating in recreational scary activities.

Still, treating anxiety and depression generally requires more than a day of riding roller coasters at your nearest theme park. Working with a licensed clinical social worker can help people manage mental health struggles, but accessibility can be limited. Once people contact a provider, it can take weeks or even months to move off a waitlist and start scheduling regular sessions.

Benefits of Online Therapy

One solution to the extensive wait times often associated with traditional in-office therapy is telehealth counseling. With providers such as ReachLink, you can often connect with a licensed clinical social worker within days of registering. Through ReachLink’s secure platform, clients can engage in therapy on terms that work for them – through videoconferencing, phone calls, or messaging. This approach helps those who experience fear related to the therapy process begin treatment in ways that fit their preferences and comfort levels.

Effectiveness of Online Therapy

Numerous studies have proven online therapy to be just as beneficial as face-to-face therapy. In a 2021 study, researchers examined whether online therapy could be effective and acceptable for participants. They found that participants usually experienced significant reductions in symptoms of depression and emotional dysregulation. More than 80% of participants also reported satisfaction with the online platform. These results demonstrate that online therapy can be effective and may result in clients being more willing to adhere to their treatment plans.

Takeaway

Fear may be unavoidable, but some people are more prone to embracing situations that scare them. Research suggests that being scared isn’t necessarily negative. In fact, small doses of fear can equip your brain to better handle real-life stressful situations, such as job loss or difficult breakups. If you’re looking for ways to better support your mental health when feeling anxious, you might want to consider working with a licensed clinical social worker through ReachLink’s secure telehealth platform.