Do you love watching a horror film, short of breath, wide-eyed behind your fingers? You’re not as “weird” as you think. According to a study published in the journal Cureusour cinematic tastes could say a lot about our personality. And those who love to scare themselves are not necessarily the most tormented.
Horror fans: extroverted, sociable and surprisingly balanced
The study, carried out among 300 students aged 20 to 23, highlighted an unexpected profile: horror film enthusiasts obtained higher scores in extroversion, agreeableness and professional conscientiousness. Just that.
That is, they are often open, cooperative and organized, while remaining emotionally stable.
Far from the image of the marginal in search of extreme sensations, these thrill-seekers seem on the contrary to be in control of their emotions. Their low level of neuroticism (a tmood ruble specific to people who feel more negative emotions) would indicate an increased tolerance to stress and fear, while maintaining a rational mind.
In other words, if you love Conjuring,
Scream or Get Outyou may be the type to keep a cool head when everyone is panicking (…even if you scream like a little girl in front of the screen).
Loving being afraid: training for the brain
In reality, watching a horror film wasn’t just a way to entertain yourself. It might also be a way to prepare yourself to face fear in general. This is what psychiatrists call the horror paradox: “People generally try to avoid things that make them uncomfortable”explains Dr Ramnarine Boodoo, child psychiatrist in another study. “But in the case of horror films, they seek them out.”
According to him, these works “activate the sympathetic nervous system, causing an increase in heart and respiratory rate. These are the same mechanisms as in a dangerous situation, but without any real risk. Some people find this adrenaline rush pleasant, because it provides thrills at little cost.”
In other words, horror films would stimulate our stress system in a safe environment, a bit like exposure therapy: by facing fear in fiction, the brain learns to better manage it in reality.
When tastes reveal personality
The horror genre isn’t the only one that reveals things about you. The researchers of the study published in Cureus ultimately analyzed six genres of films (adventure, drama, comedy, romance, horror and mystery) through the prism of the Big Five, the five major personality traits. If horror fans were thus the most stable, the other genres were also linked to specific states:
- Adventure movie fans were more extroverted and spontaneous;
- Those who preferred drama were more conscientious but also more sensitive;
- The Romantics displayed a mixture of openness and emotionality;
- Mystery fans revealed a marked intellectual curiosity;
- Those who liked comedy, on the other hand, did not have any particular traits, proof that the genre is open to everyone;
- But fans of horror films were distinguished by a complete profile, combining energy, emotional stability and organizational skills.
If you want to shine, let your “horrible” side show on screen.