According to findings, watching movies is almost the number one leisure activity in the Western societies. People usually spend more time on watching films than on any other activity.
The functions of movies in a society goes beyond individual entertainment, they both reflect and help shape norms that are relevant in everyday life. It has been shown that movies and television programs can subtly influence peoples’ perception of reality, which is known as cultivation.
Movies are like fruits, while good fruits could nourish and help replenish worn-out tissues in your body, rotten ones could be very dangerous to your health. Watching horror movies could be likened to eating rotten fruits. That may sound harsh though, because there are a few benefits of movies like that.
Some people usually say that horror movie helps prepare you for real life situations. In other words, it can help you keep a better grasp on reality.
Others say it helps increase adrenaline rushes which are good in relieving stress and anxiety and gives you energy that can lead to the secretion of the ‘feel good’ chemicals in your brain: dopamine, seratonin, and glutamate.
However, medical and psychological analysis have proven that watching horror movies and things like it could do more harm than good to those who frequently subscribe to it. Below are some life-threatening dangers associated with horror movies:
Increase in blood coagulant factor: According new research which was carried out by Dutch experts and published in the latest issue of the BMJ, watching scary films can increase the presence of a clotting agent known as Factor VIII – which can cause thrombosis – in the body.
Heart problems, panic attacks, etc: Horror movies can be detrimental to a person’s health- both mentally and physically. Increase in heart rate and blood pressure can very likely cause someone with existing cardiovascular problems to have a heart attack. If a person doesn’t already have health problems, watching enough horror flics can eventually lead to them. This goes for mental health too. If someone has suffered traumatic events, certain scenes could dig those up making the person relive it.
Suicidal thoughts: Multiple regression analysis indicates that preferences for thrillers and horror movies as well as preferences for tragicomedies, tragedies and melodramas were associated with higher scores of some of the suicide risk factors.
Negative behavioural changes: Effects of Watching Horror Movies” gives a fairly straightforward list of negative effects such as anxiety, sleeplessness, fear, phobia, mental trauma many others.
A scary movie might cause a repeated replay of a violent scenario in the mind of the viewer. This causes darker feelings for the remainder of the time they spend alone.
Having considered some of the dangers involved in watching horror movies, it all depends on the you the viewer to know if you can handle it. The decision is yours to make.
