Do you enjoy a good scare from time to time? If so, then it’s likely that you enjoy the horror genre! There are thousands of great horror movies out there to watch, and they can make for a highly enjoyable evening! But did you know that there are many benefits of watching horror movies? Well, there are! So let’s get to them.
In this article we’re going to list the many benefits of watching horror movies, and why horror is good for you. So, make sure that you stay tuned to discover why you should be watching a horror movie tonight.
Benefits Of Watching Horror Movies
Let’s just jump straight into the main seven benefits of watching horror movies! Stay tuned to see if any surprise you!
1. They Burn Calories
Yes, you read that correctly! No need to hit the gym when watching a horror movie is like a workout!
A study published by the University of Westminster got ten people to watch different horror films. The people taking part had their heart rate monitored, as well as their oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output.
The heaviest person that took part burned 184 calories! This is the same number of calories that you could burn during a weightlifting session or a walk.
So, there’s no excuse not to watch a horror movie – you can watch it guilt-free, just think of the calorie burn!
2. They Can Help Relieve Depressive Feelings
While we certainly aren’t saying that horror movies can cure depression, watching them can help to boost your mood.
This is due to the adrenaline that rushes through your body when you’re immersed in something scary, or something that makes you jump!
People with depression go through decreases in their adrenaline levels, so the levels can be replenished when you watch a scary movie.
The jumps and excitement that you experience can cause feelings of euphoria.
This can also help to reduce any feelings of stress you’ve been dealing with, as you can allow yourself to be completely immersed in the experience.
3. They Can Influence Your Real-Life Decisions
By this, we’re basically saying that scary movies can tell you what not to do!
It’s likely that you’ve found yourself screaming at a scary movie at some of the stupid decisions that the characters make. So, when it comes to the benefits of watching horror movies, we’re saying that they can act as a cautionary tale for you to learn from.
This could mean deciding not to give a hitchhiker a lift, not walking home alone late at night, or just not being too trusting of strangers in general.
4. They Can Boost Your Immune System
Have you ever found yourself wondering ‘are scary movies good for you’? If so, then you’re not alone! And the good news is that yes, they are, as watching them can help to boost your immune system health.
You see, after your body jolts from a scary scene, it will return to its calm state and your brain will release the hormones dopamine and serotonin. These hormones can then help to strengthen your immune system and keep your brain cells active.
What’s more, your white blood cells can spike during your reactions to the film, pumping adrenaline through your body.
5. They Can Help You To Socialise
Horror movies are a great choice of genre to watch with your friends and family.
They can be a fantastic bonding experience for everyone involved, as you will all be experiencing the same emotions together at the same time.
So, the next time that you have a movie night with your friends, consider putting a horror flick on!
6. They Teach You To Protect Yourself
We all used to have to hunt and fight for survival, so our ancestors had to rely on their instincts to take care of themselves and their loved ones.
So, if we consider the question ‘why is horror good for you’, you could argue that they teach you life lessons by revealing that evil does exist in the world.
They can help prepare you to fight your way out of dangerous or stressful situations.
7. They Can Help You Face Your Fears
We would argue that one of the best benefits of watching horror movies is that they can help you to face your fears and phobias head-on.
Horror movie scriptwriters are clever, as they draw some of their ideas from real life and real fears. The more realistic the horror film, the more that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the characters.
This can make it feel all the more scary – as it could be real! This can help you to face your fears in your real life.
When it comes to phobias, we are all different. However, we think you’ll agree that there are some extremely common phobias, like the dark, blood or spiders.
Watching a horror movie that includes one of your phobias can be the first step to helping you to overcome/come to terms with it.
Benefits Of Watching Horror Movies – What It Does To Your Brain
Our Final Thoughts – Benefits Of Watching Horror Movies
So, are scary movies good for you? Well, we sure think that they are, and the evidence speaks for itself!
It’s clear that watching horror movies can have a positive impact on both your mental and physical health, like boosting your serotonin levels and helping you to burn calories.
We hope that learning all about the benefits of watching horror movies has inspired you to put a horror movie on tonight!
If you’re not a horror fan, then we recommend that you give it a go still. After all, you could make a night of it and invite your loved ones over to experience it with you. Then you can all be terrified together!
Over at Мusic Gateway we have plenty more film content for you to read. Why don’t you check out Famous Movie Composers, Famous Movie Scenes, or How to Become a Screenwriter? You never know, you could write the next big blockbuster horror movie!
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