Haunted Houses; Why so Thrilling?

Haunted houses. You know the drill. Driving to that suburban or rural fire department, haunted house hot-spot that supposedly is the best haunted house in the whole area, with your friends or significant other. On the way, there is talk about how scary it's going to be and how terrified you hope to become. What an oxymoron. Who would ever want to be scared? And, what makes haunted houses so enticing?

It's a thrill similar to horror movies. It seems as though most studies have shown that people enjoy that the horror ends in relief due to the fact that what they've experienced hasn't truly happened.

According to sciencedaily.com, investigators generally use one of two theories to explain why people like horror movies and haunted houses. The first is that the person is not actually afraid, but excited by the horror. The second explanation is that they are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end. But, a new study by Eduardo Andrade (University of California, Berkeley) and Joel B. Cohen (University of Florida) appearing in the August issue of the Journal of Consumer Research argues that neither of these theories is correct.

The authors argue that horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. This novel approach to emotion reveals that people experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously -- people may actually enjoy being scared, not just relief when the threat is removed. As the authors put it, "the most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful."
Andrade and Cohen developed and utilize a new methodology to track negative and positive feelings at the same time. Their method could apply to other experiences that seem to elicit terror, risk, or disgust, such as extreme sports.
"When individuals who typically choose to avoid the stimuli were embedded in a protective frame of mind, such that there was sufficient psychological disengagement or detachment, they experienced positive feelings while still experiencing fearfulness," the authors claim.

This would explain why we enjoy haunted houses so much. There is a pleasant relief after experiencing fake terror. Last night, two of my roommates and some friends of ours went to two separate haunted houses, the Belle Valley Fire Department's haunted house, and the Wesleyville Halls of Fear. Belle Valley's was scary due to the fact that the halls were extremely narrow and we never knew what to expect or where we were headed. It was so scary, but as we made our way through, screaming and terrified out of our minds by the actors and props, I experienced an adrenalin rush like I've never felt before. And after, I laughed.

Next, we went to Wesleyville. It didn't even compare to Belle Valley, perhaps because we knew what we were in for. Still, I found myself laughing uncontrollably after the relief. It's amazing how good it feels to sense those emotions. So, I suggest Belle Valley for a good scare, but bring a friend. And if you really want to be freaked out, try Conneaut Lake's 8-story haunted house. I hear attendees must tour it by themselves, and aren't allowed to bring an acquaintance...