October: fun and fear..?

When I think of October, Halloween comes to mind. And with Halloween, the twin ideas of fear and fun. Being scared, in ‘haunted houses’ or by horror films is enjoyable, in the same way as a terrifying rollercoaster at the funfair. Why is that? Surely, being scared is an unpleasant experience! Apparently the answer is in brain chemistry: a ‘scary’ situation releases dopamine and endorphins in our brain which are both related to feelings of pleasure. However, we will only feel that pleasure if we understand that the perceived danger we face is not real. If the danger is, or appears to be, real then there is no pleasure, only fear! For more details read here, and click on the picture below for other interesting facts and language about October.

(Ed Taylor – Head of Studies at King’s Training)