What Happens to Your Brain During Halloween and While Watching Scary Movies

Does the spooky season impact our brains? Every Halloween is special and has a ton of mystery associated with it. People dress up in all sorts of costumes that are strange, bizarre, and even scary and go trick-or-treating their near and dear ones while surrounding themselves with spookiness.

Halloween is also a time when we sit together with friends and family to watch scary films. This may for sure keep us awake all night, but have you ever given a thought to what's behind the scared brain? What happens when we are surrounded by these eerie experiences? Let's find out!

While we enjoy scary movies from time to time, is this genre helpful for us? (Image via Vecteezy/Tirachard Kumtanom)

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Scared Brain: Psychological Impact of Halloween and Scary Movies

We are much more susceptible to these effects than we can imagine. (Image via Vecteezy/Generative AI)

The human brain is a complex organ that plays a significant role in our ability to perceive and react to fear. Various interesting processes can take place when watching a horror flick or engaging in Halloween activities:

1. The Fight-or-Flight Response

Our brain's amygdala, the emotional center, gets activated whenever we face scary costumes, haunted night parties, or spine-chilling horror scenes. The amygdala then triggers the well-known fight-or-flight response as it perceives a threat.

The heart rate gets rapid while the adrenaline rushes through the system, alarming us to face the threat or run away from it.

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2. The dopamine kick

The jumpscares and twists all give a dopamine rush, just like rollercoasters. (Image via Pexels/ Cottonbro Studio)

Spooky experiences can result in the secretion of dopamine. The chemical is responsible for pleasure and reward, and as a result, many individuals enjoy the thrill associated with being scared.

That's why people keep coming back to horror films and experiences because they want to feel that thrill, which gives them pleasure.

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3. Alert sense organs

Our senses are highly alert when we're frightened. The eyes dilate, which enables us to take in more information even in low-light conditions.

As a result, the hearing also gets highly acute. This is an evolutionary trait that helped our ancestors be alert while in the dark.

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4. Impact on memories

Frightening scenarios typically have a lasting impact on our memory. Wherever the brain's in a high state of arousal, it develops more graphic and lasting memories.

This is exactly the reason you may remember your personal scary experiences for years to come. This can be especially difficult for individuals with nyctophobia.

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5. Bonding and closeness

Are you catching up with someone this Halloween? (Image via Pexels/ Cottonbro studio)

Watching horror movie shows or going to a horror party with friends can greatly enhance social bonding. When the amygdala faces a group of people, it releases a hormone called oxytocin.

Oxytocin is associated with forming trust and social bonds, which is why people keep coming back for the holloween night because they feel closer to each other.

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6. Release of emotions

Whether the frightening ride of a horror flick or a haunted Halloween party is cathartic, it enables us to face our inner fears in a trusted environment.

As soon as the experiences are over, we feel a deep sense of relaxation, and the brain sees this as a positive emotion.

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Spooky films, along with Halloween activities, set off complex processes. You may find yourself getting scared on Halloween night or while watching a spooky film. Keep in mind that it's your brain's fascinating way of responding to the thrill while being safe. Embracing the scare will help you and your brain relish the frightening sensations of the Halloween season.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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