When we watch horror movies, our brain is firing on all cylinders, with interconnections between different regions to anticipate perceived threats and prepare to respond accordingly. In other words, the brain was preparing response networks for the terrifying moment.
Professor Lauri Nummenmaa explains that when we are watching horror movies, two types of fear occur. The first is the “fear of anticipation,” which is what we feel when we see a scene and begin to feel that feeling that something doesn’t quite fit or is not going well. The second type of fear is the response itself to any type of “real danger” such as the surprise appearance of an evil entity in the film. When this reaction occurs, brain activity changes, and the regions that control emotional processes, the evaluation of threats, and decision-making in any situation become dominant.
Horror movies activate two types of fears in the brain
Acute stress situations such as those that occur when watching a horror movie force the brain to reorganize and make us remember bad moments.
To reach this conclusion, a study carried out by scientists at New York University worked with 80 volunteers who watched horror scenes on the big screen, such as those from the movie Poltergeist. Magnetic resonance images showed that several cortical and subcortical regions were activated and increased their connectivity due to the action of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which reorganized their neuronal resources.
Thus, they found that when the brain is altered by these types of experiences, our senses are sharpened and fear creates a state of alert that strengthens memories of stressful experiences, although it impairs our ability to analyze. In this process, parts of the brain involved in reorienting attention, increasing perceptual alertness, and automatic neuroendocrine control are put into action.
All this means that what was once a threat warning system for predators has become a trigger point for entertainment. The specialists recalled in their study that the functions of increased vigilance and preparation came from the adaptation of human beings for their survival. It is now used as a psychological resource for heightened experience.
What is the response of the brain itself?
At high speed, nerve impulses are directed from the brain stem (responsible for detecting threats from the environment and vital functions) to the hypothalamus (responsible for maintaining homeostasis through the control of temperature, sleep, hunger, thirst, and sexual desire, as well as of endocrine and hormonal functions by connecting with the pituitary gland) (Pop et al., 2018).
In the same way, this last region also receives signals from the amygdala, which recognizes possible threatening stimuli to respond with neural activations of anger or fear. We closely follow these neural signals and, with great fascination, we witness how two biomolecules are secreted from the adrenal glands into the bloodstream: adrenaline and norepinephrine. As expected, the body we are investigating begins to prepare to fight, flee or freeze.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera
