horror is derived directly from the ancient Latin to “tremble or shudder.” What makes us seek this shudder in slasher movies, ghost stories, and zombie flicks?
This excellent article from “Harvard Business Review” argues that humans love horror movies because they offer two-fold stimulation, simultaneously triggering anxiety and excitement and delivering a hot hit of adrenaline.
In this sense, horror provides a feeling not wildly dissimilar from a theme park ride or a first date; butterflies from bloodshed, if you will.
In a shock to no one, individuals who exhibit higher levels of empathy are less inclined to enjoy horror than those with fair to middling rates of compassion.
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