Why do we enjoy being scared?

Ghost stories told around a camp fire, visiting a haunted house or watching a scary film are all common Halloween activities. We clearly enjoy scaring each-other and feeling scared, even though it seems completely counter intuitive. There are a number of reasons for this, which we'll explore in the episode. Fear is an emotional response to danger, both real or perceived. Our body releases a mixture of adrenaline and cortisol and triggers our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response. It makes us more alert, speeds up our heart rate and increases our blood pressure. We breathe faster, delivering more oxygen to the brain, and our glucose levels spike, giving us an energy boost so we are ready to act or react. How does fear affect us physically? Is feeling relief the only reason we like to feel scared? Can you have too much of a good thing? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠What is chromophobia?⁠ ⁠Why do we jump when we get scared?⁠ ⁠Why does not getting enough sleep make you selfish?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. First broadcast: 27/10/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices