When faced with profound trauma like a loved one's terminal diagnosis, the act of writing becomes a lifeline. It is not about crafting a narrative for later but about processing overwhelming events as they unfold, creating a way to survive the horror.

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.

When we hear stories of how ancestors overcame challenges, we internalize them as "vicarious memories." These are not just tales but mental models of resilience that act as a psychological buffer against our own adversity. This has been observed in studies of children post-9/11 and military veterans.

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.

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.

Engaging with scary entertainment like haunted houses is not just for thrills; it's a social tool for evaluating relationships. Observing how a friend or partner reacts in a simulated fearful environment provides clues about their reliability and cooperativeness in a real crisis. It's a low-stakes test of a person's character under pressure.

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.

People watched the movie 'Contagion' during the pandemic rather than reading scientific papers because the human brain is wired to learn through first-person stories, not lists of facts. Narratives provide a simulated, experiential perspective that taps into ancient brain mechanisms, making the information more memorable, understandable, and emotionally resonant.

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.