Horror can act as a tool for managing generalized anxiety. It hijacks the mind's vigilance cycle, which looks for a threat but can't find one, and provides a specific, identifiable, and controllable fictional threat on screen. Once the movie ends, the threat disappears, triggering the body's relaxation response and calming the nervous system.
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An intense emotion like fear will run its course and pass in just 7 to 12 seconds if you let yourself feel it completely without suppression. Chronic suffering arises from resisting the feeling, not from the feeling itself. To accelerate this process, breathe into the physical sensation rather than holding your breath against it.
Molly Carlson, who has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, finds that the three seconds she's in the air during a high dive are the most silent her brain ever is. The extreme physical risk and focus required create a temporary state of pure presence, making the dangerous act a powerful mental escape.
You cannot simply think your way out of a deep-seated fear, as it is an automatic prediction. To change it, you must systematically create experiences that generate "prediction error"—where the feared outcome doesn't happen. This gradual exposure proves to your brain that its predictions are wrong, rewiring the response over time.
A simple way to regulate your nervous system is to listen to birdsong. From an evolutionary perspective, birds only sing when there are no predators nearby. Hearing them subconsciously signals to our brains that we are safe, which in turn lowers cortisol levels, blood pressure, and breathing rate.
Our fascination with danger isn't a flaw but a survival mechanism. Like animals that observe predators from a safe distance to learn their habits, humans consume stories about threats to understand and prepare for them. This 'morbid curiosity' is a safe way to gather crucial information about potential dangers without facing direct risk.
Instead of treating fear as a psychological flaw, view it as a neutral, physical vibration in the body. This atomic perspective, inspired by physics, allows you to step out of self-judgment and use the energy creatively. You stop managing the 'idea' of anxiety and start experiencing the raw sensation.
Contrary to the belief that people seek escapism during turbulent times, research shows a surge of interest in scary entertainment following real-life traumatic events. For example, after a campus murder, students in the victim's dorm were most likely to choose to watch a violent movie, suggesting a need to process and understand the threat.
Contrary to stereotypes that horror fans are depraved, research indicates they often possess higher-than-average cognitive empathy. To experience fear while watching a scary movie, a viewer must be able to adopt the perspective of the protagonist. The fear is generated not by the monster itself, but by empathizing with someone like us who is in danger.
Research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that horror fans exhibited greater psychological resilience and less distress than non-fans. Regularly engaging with frightening fictional scenarios appears to serve as a form of emotional regulation practice, equipping individuals to better handle real-world stress and anxiety.
Anxiety spikes when you mentally separate from your own capacity to handle future challenges. Instead of focusing on uncontrollable 'what ifs,' the antidote is to reconnect with your agency and ability to respond, regardless of the outcome. Doubling down on your capacity to handle things quiets the alarm.
