{"id":18633,"date":"2025-10-24T09:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T09:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/18633\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T09:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T09:37:11","slug":"why-we-love-a-good-halloween-scare-fiu-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/18633\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we love a good Halloween scare | FIU News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do so many of us love a good scare \u2014 from haunted houses and horror movies to roller coasters that make our hearts race? According to FIU psychology researcher Matthew Sutherland<\/a>, the answer lies deep in the brain, where our alarm, control and reward systems work together to turn fear into fun.<\/p>\n

Why fear feels so good<\/p>\n

Sutherland, a cognitive neuroscientist and researcher at the Center for Children and Families<\/a>, explains that haunted houses hijack the brain\u2019s alarm system, the amygdala. When we see a jump scare or hear a sudden scream, the amygdala floods the body with adrenaline and stress hormones, preparing us to react.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amygdala\u2019s job is to protect us,\u201d Sutherland explains. \u201cIt makes our hearts race, sharpens our senses, and keeps us alert, even when we know we\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the prefrontal cortex steps in. This part of the brain helps us reason and recognize that the danger isn\u2019t real \u2014 that the zombie is just an actor or the roller coaster is securely designed. Once the brain realizes the threat is pretend, fear flips to thrill.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur brains let us experience the physiological rush of fear while knowing we\u2019re not in real danger,\u201d says Sutherland. \u201cThat combination transforms anxiety into excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reward of facing fear<\/p>\n

After the initial shock, the brain\u2019s reward system, takes over. Dopamine \u2014 the \u201cfeel-good\u201d chemical \u2014 is released, reinforcing the idea that facing a fear feels good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why people often come out of haunted houses laughing,\u201d Sutherland notes. \u201cThe brain learns that \u2018surviving\u2019 a scare can be fun and rewarding, which motivates us to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping kids handle \u201csafe scares\u201d<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s brains process fear a little differently. The amygdala develops early, but the prefrontal cortex \u2014 the part that helps them reason through their emotions \u2014 takes much longer to mature. That\u2019s why younger kids often react as if a pretend threat is real.<\/p>\n

Around age seven or eight, most kids begin to realize that fear can be fun in the right setting. Helping them approach spooky situations gradually can boost their confidence and emotional control.<\/p>\n

Parents can make Halloween more enjoyable by previewing decorations in daylight, encouraging kids to choose age-appropriate scares, and letting them take the lead \u2014 even by doing the scaring themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen kids realize they can calm down after being startled, they learn resilience,\u201d Sutherland says. \u201cIt\u2019s not about avoiding fear, but learning that they can handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The social side of scares<\/p>\n

Fear also brings us closer together. When we share a scare \u2014 whether it\u2019s clinging to a friend in a haunted maze or laughing after a jump scare \u2014 our brains release oxytocin, a hormone that builds trust and connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cFacing fear together acts like social glue,\u201d Sutherland explains. \u201cIt turns scary moments into shared memories that bring people closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

When fear feels different<\/p>\n

For some children, fear hits differently. Kids with anxiety may have amygdalae that react more strongly, making it harder to turn off the alarm. Children with ADHD often have lower dopamine activity, which may lead them to seek bigger thrills \u2014 louder screams, faster rides or scarier experiences.<\/p>\n

Understanding how each child experiences fear helps parents guide them toward what feels safe and fun for them.<\/p>\n

The spooky takeaway<\/p>\n

\u201cThink of your brain like an orchestra,\u201d Sutherland says. \u201cThe amygdala plays the pounding drum of fear, the prefrontal cortex conducts to keep everything in rhythm, and the striatum adds the triumphant brass that makes the experience rewarding instead of terrifying. When all three systems play in harmony, fear becomes fun, the joy of feeling scared while knowing we\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

For most children, the spooky fun of Halloween is a healthy way to experience and manage fear in a safe, playful environment. But for some, the experience can feel overwhelming.<\/p>\n

If your child struggles with intense fear, anxiety, or other emotional or behavioral challenges, the Center for Children and Families<\/a>\u00a0offers a range of evidence-based clinical services across home, school, and peer settings. Visit ccf.fiu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 305-348-0477 for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why do so many of us love a good scare \u2014 from haunted houses and horror movies to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":{"0":"post-18633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hialeah","8":"tag-hialeah","9":"tag-hialeah-headlines","10":"tag-hialeah-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}