CUriosity: Why do we like to be scared?
In CUriosity, experts across the CU Boulder campus answer questions about humans, our planet and the universe beyond.
In honor of Halloween, we asked behavioral neuroscientist and fear researcher Elora Williams, PhD, why some people like to be scared and some don’t.
Elora Williams at the historic Columbia Cemetery in Boulder. Credit: Paige Hellebrand
From haunted houses and slasher films to climbs up steep rock faces and freefalls out of airplanes, scary things attract us—or at least some of us.
But why?
Behavioral neuroscientist Elora Williams, who earned her doctorate from CU Boulder’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in August, says that to understand why some people crave fear, we must first understand what happens in the brain and body when we’re scared.
"When you come across something threatening, it engages the nervous system, which sends signals throughout our brain and body to help us freeze, flee or fight," she explains.
This complex evolutionary system likely originated to help our ancestors survive predators. But it kicks in just the same when a masked and bloody Jason of "Friday the 13th" fame pops out of the shadows with a chainsaw.
In a split second, nerve cells fire off alarm signals, releasing chemical messengers that put the whole brain on high alert. These signals ripple through networks of neurons that coordinate our defensive behaviors and relay commands to the body to act. Our pupils dilate, letting in more light to see our would-be attacker. Our pulse quickens, pumping more blood to power our muscles to run away. Adrenaline surges, temporarily dampening our pain perception.
Once the threat retreats, a slew of feel-good brain chemicals wash over us to signal we are safe as we laugh our way to the fun-house exit.
Born to be wild?
Whether we like this neurochemical pendulum swing depends a lot on our genetics, with large studies identifying more than 100 genetic variants associated with a person’s risk tolerance.
Some taste for risk can be good for us, helping us learn what’s safe. But it can also be associated with behaviors that carry real peril, like substance use and gambling.
One study of 116,255 people found that people who identified themselves as risk takers were more likely to be men, smokers and have a history of a psychiatric disorder.
Past life experience and age also matter. The older we get, research suggests, the more risk-averse we tend to be.
Variations in certain neural circuits and brain chemicals can also shape how we respond to a threat.
For instance, circuits involving the brain chemicals dopamine and Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, play a critical role in teaching us what we should, or should not, be afraid of.
Williams’ own research, with Assistant Professor Susanna Molas, recently found that a cluster of neurons deep in the midbrain, known as the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN), helps to not only stimulate the freeze-and-flee reaction to threat but also dial it down when it turns out there is no danger.
This circuit may help explain why, after the tenth jump scare at the horror flick, you stop screaming.
"The brain’s threat system is like an alarm. It needs to sound when danger is real but shut off when it turns out the danger is not real," says Williams. "This circuit helps us fine-tune those responses through experience, helping us adapt to the world."
Variations in the IPN could also influence why some people love haunted houses and others hate them. Misfires in this circuit could also potentially contribute to more serious things like chronic anxiety, PTSD or addiction.
"A lot of negative things can come out of fear too," said Williams. "That’s why it’s so important that we work to understand how these threat responses work."
Micro risk-taking
Is there anything the more timid among us can do to become a bit less risk-averse?
Yes, said Williams.
She recommends setting "micro-risk-taking goals," small things that get you out of your comfort zone each day.
That way, when Halloween season comes around, you may be ready for the fun house.