Mathias Clasen, a Danish scientist with the coolest resume ever, is the Director of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University. “Fear is an extremely important tool for learning,” he said, possibly to a tied-up journalist in a dark, echoey room. And since we horror fans are all about education on the Mostly Spooky Blog, let’s learn why we love scary shit so much.
“Frightening leisure activities are not (strictly) an outlet for sensation-seeking,” according to what I cannot stress enough was an APA journal-published study. Clasen and his colleagues studied enthusiasts of scary movies and haunted houses. They found that horror fans fit into three categories: “Adrenaline Junkies,” “White Knucklers,” and “Dark Copers.” I think we can agree that any of these would make a good band name.
People within each of these categories find value in scary entertainment. But the three types of fans get different things out of horror.
Adrenaline Junkies
In times of extreme stress, for example if you’re being chased by a monster (we’ve all been there), your adrenal glands release the hormone adrenaline. In response, your blood circulates faster, you breathe more quickly, and your muscles get ready to flee or fight.
This change to your body is often referred to as an “adrenaline rush.” You can seek this rush by purposely endangering yourself, or by simulating it. Riding roller coasters, for example. Or reading horror.
The Adrenaline Junkie horror fan chooses to immerse themselves in scary situations. They engage to such a degree that they feel as though the situation is happening to them . They seek the fear response in their bodies.
According to Clasen et al, adrenaline junkies “reported immediate enjoyment.” The chemical change itself is the goal. For this type of horror fan, adrenaline instantly buoys their mood. A second original study (seriously, I am in the wrong field) backs this up. And it added: “Those whose mood improved had a smaller neural response to subsequent stressors.” Apparently gas prices bother you less after you’ve just watched an exorcism.
White Knucklers
White Knucklers, on the other hand, do NOT want to feel that they are Clarice being chased around a dark house by Buffalo Bill. At least, not for very long.
Rather than dwelling in terror, White Knucklers pull themselves out of it when the situation becomes too intense. Sometimes they use Cognitive Coping Strategies, such as reminding themselves it is just a story, or trying to remember where they have seen that actor before. Alternatively they might use Behavioral Strategies — like covering their eyes in the theater.
While Adrenaline Junkies give themselves over to fear, White Knucklers control it. According to the study, they “seek minimal fear arousal.”
But if White Knucklers don’t enjoy the experience of being scared, why do they seek out horror? What’s the point, if they don’t get anything out of fear?
Turns out that even if they don’t chase adrenaline rush, they still get something from horror. According to Coltan Scrivner, PhD, another peer-reviewed Fear Scholar (and a colleague of Clasen), after a horror experience White Knucklers “felt as if they learned something about themselves or developed on a personal level… Some reported feeling as if they learned how to make decisions under pressure while others learned that they could handle more than they thought they could.”
Dark Copers
The third kind of horror fan, the Dark Coper, seeks out horror as a kind of release. They use fear to redirect their stress from real life.
Bad day at work? Unwind by watching something from the Scream franchise. Worried about a test result? Read along as Jade figures out what’s happening at Indian Lake.
It’s not strictly a matter of distraction. Dr. Scrivner says that horror is “a good way for some people to practice emotion regulation skills and cope with feelings of anxiety.”
To quote another expert on the subject, Wes Craven, “Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.”
Which Kind of Horror Fan Are You?
So are you an Adrenaline Junkie, a White Knuckler, or a Dark Coper?
There are no wrong answers here. Sure, Dark Copers have the most iconic name, but it’s tempting to think that Adrenaline Junkies, because they actually seek out fear, are the truest horror fans. At least they’re not watching movies by peeking through their fingers.
But White Knucklers are real horror fans, too. Another study by Clasen states, “Although adrenaline junkies report stronger fear experiences than white-knucklers, … satisfaction remains relatively similar across the two groups.” They’re just loving horror differently.
If you want to read more of Clasen’s work, take a look at his CV. He has had a lot of fear-related papers published. My favorite, by title alone, is Dracula: En udød legende. That’s it, I’m learning Danish. Every single word looks like it belongs on a death metal cover.
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