Why Do We Like Being Scared? The Psychology Fear
It's nearly Halloween, which means haunted attractions are preparing to terrify their visitors, horror films are back on the telly, and my podcast queue is looking particularly suspicious.
I love a spooky escape room with my husband, and I'm always interested in a good murder podcast. There's something wonderfully entertaining about being frightened by something when you know you're perfectly safe. Well, reasonably safe. I'm still not entirely convinced that the creepy Victorian doll in the corner of an escape room isn't plotting something.
Which raises a fairly obvious question. If fear is an unpleasant emotion designed to warn us about danger, why do we deliberately seek it out?
From horror films and scare mazes to true crime documentaries, there's clearly something appealing about being frightened when the situation is entirely optional.
Psychologists have a few interesting explanations for this, and they reveal some useful things about how our brains respond to uncertainty, excitement and the unknown.
Let's investigate. Preferably with the lights on...
THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND FEAR
Fear is a useful survival mechanism. When we perceive a threat, our bodies can activate the fight-or-flight response, preparing us to react. Our heart rate increases, our attention sharpens and we become more alert to what's happening around us.
Useful when you're facing genuine danger. Slightly less useful when you're trying to enjoy a quiet evening and someone in a Halloween mask has just leapt out from behind a curtain.
The interesting thing about recreational fear is that our bodies can respond to a frightening situation even when we know, at some level, that we're safe.
In a 2020 study published in Psychological Science, researchers from Aarhus University investigated visitors to a Danish haunted attraction. They measured participants' heart rates and asked them about their experiences of fear and enjoyment.
The researchers found that enjoyment tended to be highest at an intermediate level of fear. Experiences that were too tame or too frightening were less enjoyable than those that hit the right balance.
Think of it as a psychological Goldilocks sweet spot zone. Enough fear to get your heart racing, but not so much that you genuinely want to abandon your friends and climb over the nearest fence.
This helps explain why a scare maze or scary escape room can be entertaining even when the experience itself is uncomfortable. You're experiencing a physical response to a perceived threat while knowing that the situation is controlled.
The trick is getting the balance right.
WHY DO WE ENJOY BEING FRIGHTENED?
1. We enjoy the adrenaline rush
Part of the appeal of frightening experiences is the physical excitement they create. A sudden noise, an unexpected movement or the anticipation of something lurking around the next corner can make your heart race and your senses feel heightened. For some people, that rush is exciting in its own right.
Research into horror entertainment has explored the relationship between fear, physiological enjoyment. However, people respond differently, and there's no single chemical explanation for why everyone enjoys being scared.
For some, the appeal is the intensity of the experience. Others enjoy the suspense, the story or the challenge of facing something frightening.
And some people would rather spend their evening watching The Great British Bake Off. All perfectly reasonable.
2. We like the relief when the danger passes
Have you ever watched a horror film, spent several minutes shouting at a character not to go into the basement, then laughed when the tension finally breaks? Part of the enjoyment can come from the contrast between suspense and relief.
Psychologists have explored this through theories such as excitation transfer, which suggests that physiological arousal from one event can influence how we experience what happens next.
In horror, the tension builds as we anticipate something terrible. When the threat is revealed, resolved or turns out to be less dangerous than expected, the experience can become enjoyable. Phew, it wasn't really a serial killer lurking behind the shower curtain.
Scare mazes use this brilliantly. You walk down a dark corridor, hear something moving nearby and start anticipating the worst. Then someone jumps out, you scream, your friends laugh, and suddenly the experience feels quite different. This is why me and my husband love slighlty spooky escape rooms.
The fear hasn't necessarily disappeared, but the context changes how you interpret it.
3. We are curious about things that frighten us
Humans are curious creatures. We want to understand things that are unfamiliar, unpredictable or difficult to explain.
Psychologists use the term morbid curiosity to describe an interest in negative or threatening information, including death, violence and dangerous situations.
Research by psychologist Coltan Scrivner and other researchers has explored how this curiosity relates to horror entertainment and people's interest in threatening situations.
A horror film lets you explore a frightening scenario without experiencing the actual danger. A true crime documentary gives you an opportunity to examine what happened, consider the evidence and try to understand the behaviour involved.
The subject matter might be disturbing, but the desire to understand it can be compelling. This brings us neatly to one of the biggest questions in the psychology of fear.
WHY DO SO MANY WOMEN LISTEN TO MURDER PODCASTS?
True crime has developed a substantial audience, and women feature prominently in research exploring its appeal , and yes I'm one of them. But why are so many people happy to listen to detailed accounts of murder, disappearances and criminal investigations while making their morning coffee?
There isn't one definitive answer, and it's worth remembering that women aren't a single audience with identical interests. Research does, however, suggest several possible explanations.
Curiosity about human behaviour
True crime offers an opportunity to examine unusual or extreme behaviour. What happened? What motivated the person responsible? Which warning signs were missed? How did investigators solve the case?
These are questions about psychology, decision-making and human behaviour. For people interested in understanding why people do what they do, the investigative process can be as compelling as the mystery itself.
An interest in personal safety
A 2026 study published in the British Journal of Psychology examined people's motivations for consuming true crime. The researchers found that defensive vigilance was a stronger motivation among women in their study.
So, some women may be drawn to true crime because they want to learn about potential threats and understand how dangerous situations develop.
This is particularly interesting when considered alongside the fact that women can have different experiences and perceptions of personal safety from men.
However, there's an important distinction here. Finding a case informative doesn't mean that consuming true crime reliably improves someone's ability to predict or prevent crime. The research explores people's motivations, not proof that listening to podcasts makes them safer.
The appeal of solving a mystery
True crime also shares something with detective fiction. Listeners gather information, follow developments and try to work out what happened before the investigation reaches its conclusion.
There can be satisfaction in understanding how evidence fits together and seeing an apparently confusing case become clearer.
Of course, real cases involve real people, including victims and their families. Responsible true crime content needs to treat those people with respect rather than turning their experiences into entertainment without consideration.
The takeaway? True crime can appeal to curiosity, investigative thinking and interest in human behaviour, alongside the thrill of frightening subject matter.
HOW SCARE MAZES TURN FEAR INTO FUN
Scare mazes take the psychology of fear and turn it into a physical experience.
Unlike watching a horror film on your sofa, you're moving through the environment yourself. You can't see what's around the next corner, the lighting is deliberately limited, and noises you can't identify make it harder to predict what's coming.
This taps into the role of uncertainty in fear. When we don't know what to expect, we may become more alert to potential threats. The anticipation can be just as effective as the jump scare itself. Sometimes, the corridor where nothing happens is more unsettling than the room where someone suddenly appears.
Scare mazes also add a social element. Going with friends gives you people to react with, laugh with and discuss the experience afterwards. Shared reactions can become part of the entertainment, particularly when everyone has a slightly different tolerance for being frightened.
And there's a practical difference between a controlled scare and a genuine threat. Knowing that you can leave, that the actors are performing and that the environment has been designed for entertainment can help people enjoy the experience.
Not everyone will find that reassuring enough, of course. Some people love the adrenaline, while others prefer their entertainment without the possibility of screaming in public.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOUR WEBSITE?
Okay, the link to websites might be a little tenuous this time, but it's Halloween, I love all things spooky, and I wanted an excuse to explore the psychology behind why we enjoy being scared. And since we're here to talk about websites, I'm going to see if I can connect the two. Here goes...
The psychology behind frightening entertainment offers some useful lessons about how people respond to uncertainty, anticipation and the information available to them.
1. Give people enough information to feel comfortable
A little mystery can be entertaining when people have deliberately chosen it. It's much less helpful when they're trying to work out whether your business is right for them.
If visitors can't tell what you offer, who you work with or how much your services might cost, they may feel uncertain about taking the next step.
Make your key information easy to find. Explain what happens next, answer common questions and make your calls to action clear.
2. Build anticipation without creating anxiety
Horror films use pacing to keep people interested. Websites can use anticipation too, through well-structured storytelling, engaging headlines and content that encourages visitors to explore further.
For example, a charity could introduce a challenge it wants to address, explain why it matters and then show how its work is making a difference.
The important difference is that website visitors shouldn't have to endure unnecessary suspense to find the information they need. Curiosity is useful. Confusion is a conversion killer.
3. Make the experience predictable where it counts
A good scare maze creates uncertainty deliberately. A good website generally shouldn't.
Consistent navigation, recognisable buttons, clear labels and logical page structures help people understand how to move around your site.
Visitors shouldn't have to guess whether a heading is clickable or whether submitting a form will send them to another page, sign them up to a mailing list or summon a small digital demon.
Tell people what will happen, then make sure the experience matches their expectations.
4. Use emotional storytelling thoughtfully
People often engage with stories that create curiosity, tension or anticipation. This is one reason case studies, personal stories and examples can be effective ways to communicate your work.
But there's a line between engaging storytelling and using fear to pressure people into taking action. Be accurate, respect the people whose stories you share and give visitors the information they need to decide for themselves.
Emotional engagement works best when it's supported by clarity and trust.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Katie Di Feliciantonio at Made by Katie, a Surrey-based Wix and Squarespace web design studio.
I work with charities and small businesses, offering tailored packages to suit your needs: Mini Websites for a fast, affordable online presence, Bespoke Website Builds for a fully custom website, and Page Makeovers to refresh and optimise your existing site.
