The Psychology of Fear: What Makes Horror So Addictive
When it comes to choosing entertainment options such as movie genres, the desired emotional journey is a big factor in choice. While some people like to get a light intensity pick-up from comedies, horror movies take the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions.
Watching horror movies provides a safe place to enjoy danger, viewers are pulled into the storyline, anticipating where the next scare will come from. Jump scares trigger strong emotional responses like adrenaline spikes and the dramatic twists and turns draw viewers deeper into the narrative.
How the Psychology of Fear Works
The psychology of fear makes horror movies a unique way to go through the sense of risk without actually putting yourself in a dangerous environment. The adrenaline causes a dopamine hit similar to participating in extreme sports but you are either in the comfort of your own home or at a movie theater. Once you complete the journey, there is a release of tension, a feeling of relief that leaves you on a high.
This is why many people describe watching horror as addictive, the viewer wants to chase a repeat experience so that they can go through those feelings again. You can live out your fear fantasies without losing control or facing any physically harming consequences when you watch a horror movie and then step right back into reality.
How Horror Movies and Slots Use Similar Psychology
Many of the same people who love to watch horror movies and chase the thrills that provide dopamine spikes are also drawn to activities that are developed around risk and reward psychology. Playing online slots involves similar emotions and triggers to horror movies, such as:
Building up Anticipation
The storylines within horror movies are aligned to developing tension and anticipation by hinting at dangers and viewers are waiting for scares. Music and sounds are also strategically used to build up anticipation, creating a sensory tease that something scary is about to happen.
With slot machines, game designers help to drive anticipation by creating “near miss” outcomes, which give players the feeling that they are getting closer and closer to a win. As the level of risk increases, the desire for reward also grows, creating a psychological loop of chasing the dopamine spike.
Uncertain Outcomes
Another similarity between playing slots and watching horror is that much of the excitement stems from not knowing what is going to happen next. The outcomes in slot machines are unpredictable, even if there is a set RTP (Return to Player) percentage for a game, you never know when a win is going to land.
Apart from knowing that something scary will inevitably happen in a horror movie, you don’t know when that part of the story will creep up or how it will play out. Horror movie fans enjoy watching movies with plot twists and endings that are difficult to predict and slot players get a thrill from games with unpredictable outcomes.
The unpredictability means that greater focus is required so engagement levels remain high throughout both types of experiences.
Emotional Cycles
Both horror movies and playing online slots work around emotional and psychological loops; the build up of tension followed by an emotional peak and finally relief. Throughout the movie or playing session, this cycle is repeated as the viewer/player searches for a repeat of the cycle.
Near misses also add to the tension, in horrors the audience might see a dangerous character about to pounce but then some form of intervention halts them in their tracks, often involving a near miss of death. On slot machines, it is common for symbols to line up on the winning line with the final required symbol missing the line by one place to create a near miss.
Use of Lights and Sounds
In both types of entertainment, sensory triggers are also prominent, from flashing lights in slots alluding to a win or a close win, to shadows and darkness in horrors. Horror movies use music or sometimes silence to amplify suspense, while the positive, chiming sounds of slot machines help to immerse players in the game and hold their attention for longer. Even smaller wins can feel more important when emphasized by loud coin-drop noises.
Conclusion
The psychology of fear helps to attract people to both slot machines and horror movies, both forms of entertainment allow people to experience some danger in a controlled and safe environment. The adrenaline rushes, sensory triggers and psychological loops draw people in and help to maintain their focus, making both online slots and horror movies addictive in very similar ways.
