Horror, personality, and threat simulation: A survey on the psychology of scary media.

Abstract

Horror entertainment is a thriving and paradoxical industry. Who are the consumers of horror, and why do they seek out frightening media? We provide support for the threat simulation theory of horror, according to which horror media provides a form of benign masochism that offers negative emotional stimulation through simulation of threat scenarios. Through an online survey of genre use and preference as well as personality traits and paranormal beliefs (n=1070), we find that sensation seeking and the fifth of the Big-Five factors, intellect/imagination, predict liking of horror and frequency of use. Gender, educational level, and age are also correlated with horror liking and frequency of use (males show higher liking and more frequent use, whereas liking and use frequency are negatively correlated with educational level and age). People with stronger beliefs in the paranormal tend to seek out horror media with supernatural content, whereas those with weaker beliefs in the paranormal gravitate toward horror media with natural content, suggesting that people seek out horror media with threatening stimuli that they perceive to be plausible. While frightening media may be initially aversive, people high in sensation seeking and intellect/imagination, in particular, like intellectual stimulation and challenge and expect not just negative but also positive emotions from horror consumption. They brave the initially aversive response to simulate threats and so enter a positive feedback loop by which they attain adaptive mastery through coping with virtual simulated danger.

Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Intentionally exposing oneself to fearful situations is, on its face, a peculiar phenomenon. An empirically supported explanation for why people engage in frightening fictional experiences is that these experiences can act as simulations of actual experiences from which individuals can gather information and model possible worlds ( Clasen, 2017 ; Clasen, Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, & Johnson, 2018 ; Mar & Oatley, 2008 ; Morin, Acerbi, & Sobchuk, 2019 ). In a simulated experience, such as an oral story, a novel or a film, one can explore possible futures or phenomena, gathering information about what the real version of such an experience would look like, and learn how to prepare for analogous situations in the real world ( Scalise-Sugiyama, 2001 ).…”

Playing With Fear: A Field Study in Recreational Horror

“…With this definition we seek to capture the broad spectrum of phenomena in which humans derive pleasure from playful engagement with fear-inducing situations. Such engagement ranges from mildly scary children’s activities, such as playfully being chased by a parent or caregiver, to full-blown horror media, such as horror films and haunted attractions, which remain prominent in popular culture (Clasen, Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, & Johnson, 2020).…”

Why people die in novels: testing the ordeal simulation hypothesis

“…The concentration of huge risks and opportunities upon a few rare events, and the possibility of reacting to them adaptively, provide both a possibility and a reason to prepare for ordeals. Other proponents of the adaptive simulation perspective have studied in greater depth the ways that fiction influences our behaviour by preparing us for future contingencies (Carroll, 2011;Carroll et al, 2017;Clasen et al, 2018;see also Pinker, 1997: pp. 542-543).…”

“…The claim that fictional narrative prepares us for dangers by simulating them has been put forward by several authors (van Krieken, 2018;Clasen et al, 2018;Gottschall, 2013). In their view, "horror simulations may […] serve the adaptive function of preparation for real-world encounters with negative emotions and/or hostile others" (Clasen et al, 2018). A similar view has been defended concerning dreams (Revonsuo, 2000; an explicit inspiration to Gottschall's theory of fiction in his 2013 book).…”