Credit: iStock If you’re a fan of scary movies, you might notice that intense scenes may make you a little fidgety. As a scare pops up suddenly, you may unconsciously clench your fists or grip the arms of the couch, your heart rate quickens, goosebumps start to prickle your skin and sweat beads out of … Continue reading Watching Scary Movies Can Help Reduce Your Stress (Really!)
Fight or flight
Halloween, Physiology Style
Credit: iStock As soon as the calendar turns over to October (and sometimes even before!) retail and media outlets remind us Halloween is coming. Wherever we look, it seems to be costumes, candy and scary movies abound. But did you know that many of the things that come to mind when we think of Halloween … Continue reading Halloween, Physiology Style
Horror-ibly Wrong Physiology in Scary Movies
Filmmakers have a history of making a few common mistakes in horror movie physiology. Credit: iStock Horror movies have been thrilling fans since the late 1800s, and research has shown that people who watched a horror film had a spike in white blood cells—a basic and important part of the immune system—in response to the … Continue reading Horror-ibly Wrong Physiology in Scary Movies
The Physiology of a Good Scare
Credit: iStock With Halloween next week, you may be planning to head to a haunted house or cozy up on the couch with popcorn and a horror flick. Either way, you’re probably hoping for a good scare. Enjoying the thrill of a scary movie or riding a rollercoaster isn’t the same as a real life-threatening … Continue reading The Physiology of a Good Scare