Decoding the amazing science behind our love of thrillers

If you were faced with a scene of unimaginable gore, with several of your human companions being hacked to death and their entrails and vital fluids strewn across the room, your first instinct would presumably be to flee and seek safety (assuming you weren’t too scared). busy vomiting).

It would be strange, even terrifying, if you offered to pay to witness this scenario, possibly while eating popcorn or nachos (which can also cause vomiting if consumed in excess).

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What type of content is most widespread in the thriller genre?

However, technically a large number of people do this. The Saw franchise alone has made nearly a billion dollars at the box office, and that’s just one horror movie series.

There are a host of other alternatives and formats available, many of which are geared toward presenting people with scenes of severe gore and/or horror.

And people swallow it (not literally, that would be terrible). The point is that there is certainly a large market for things that should rationally scare us or repel us.

Why do people love thrillers?

The theory of excitation transfer is the most fundamental. Being afraid and triggering the fight or flight reaction is extremely stimulating, with a variety of different effects on the functioning of our brain.

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According to arousal transfer theory, arousal experienced through fear is fundamentally transmitted to other experiences that may or may not be equivalent in some way. Scary things, in essence, make everything else more “vivid”, which is exciting and attractive.

How does the science behind this work?

Another point of view is that we all have these dark impulses or “forbidden thoughts” and having a way to express them is beneficial. People often wonder about robbery, assault, deception and other heinous crimes.

You know what this is if you’ve ever stood next to someone near a high cliff and wondered, “What would happen if I just pushed him off?” Some suggest that watching horror movies and other “video nasties” gives us an outlet for this thought/compulsion, making us less inclined to act on it overall.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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