Oct. 19, 2022

Ep 19- The mental health benefits of horror movies

Ep 19- The mental health benefits of horror movies

Believe it or not, there is research that suggests that consuming horror content may actually be beneficial for some people with anxiety or a history of trauma. Shayna and Kathy are joined by fellow horror enthusiasts, Domo and Myles, to chat about movies that we love and scare us. We talk about how horror content can actually help with anxiety and also the positive association of horror consumption and resiliency during the pandemic.

**Horror isn't for everyone and for some people increases their anxiety and definitely isn't helpful for their mental state. But, if you are someone who finds horror beneficial, don't worry- you aren't alone and there is research that hypothesizes why.

Citations and sources:

(Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films. 

Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Psychology  Behind Why We Love (or Hate) Horror

Artwork by Matthew Gwaltney- https://www.bdbumblebee.com

Editing by Ryan Merrill

Intro Music is "Call to Adventure" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)-Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Myles WaiteProfile Photo

Myles Waite

Web Developer

I am a web developer who works for a hospitality company. I go through phases of reading fantasy novels, manga, watching anime, horror movies, listening to podcasts about past and current tv shows, and playing games (video, board, and DND).

Jamar

Jamar "Domo" Pigott

He/Him. Mostly known as Domo by his friends, he has been invested into geek and nerd culture since he was young. Domo has an eclectic range of interests and enjoys learning new things. Domo currently works as a mail carrier where he is able to have open discussions with him many coworker about other geek culture. Most days that he has off from work, he enjoys finding new horror movies and playing video games.