Why do people love being scared to death in the cinema??

im trying to solve a mystery that was put upon me by my friends during a very long and deep conversation, the question is:-

why do people love being scared to death in the cinema, or why do people like being scared to death?

the answer i have come up with myself using my brain (very rare occurence)is that people like the feeling that they can come so close to death that they are happy to watch other people do it. yet, also why do people do 'extreme' sports, yet as i can relate to these such sports (being a BMXer) i can understand that i love the feeling of not being in total control of what i am doing for a split second, and that something horrific could happen, yet it doesnt, so i get an adrenaline rush. so apart from 'extreme' sports, can anybody justify why people love being scared to death at the cinema.

please try and help me!

erm...bloody good question. i shall ponder over this for sometime and come back to you with an appropriate answer..

Fear is a natural inbuilt protection system.

When we are afraid, we get a surge of adreneline rushing through our body. This enables us to escape from danger quickly as blood moves faster through our body and sends more oxagen to the heart and lungs.

Adreneline is a high

Therefore we watch scary movies for a natural high. And its a lot safer than some of the adreneline rushes out there.

aha, kat, i like your answer, yet, could there be another reason why people enjoy/love being scared at the movies, sure thats the rational explanation but theyre has to be another reason why!

We are also inherently evil and like seeing bad things happen!!

(Thats just my own personal theory!)

I like it when a frightened date clings to me for security during the scary parts

dio, i know what you mean, very cool, but then u miss half the movie tryin to calm her down, and if u dont calm her down she calls you a pig and ignores you for a lot of the evning and sends you on a huge guilt trip (and we all know girls do so dont try to hide the fact you do!) and we know that the guilt trip from a girl that you really like always works, and so u do so much more that evening and spend alot more money than planned, and only then, do you get forgivness. so, i like your idea, but doesnt explain why we enjoy being scared to death at the movies!!!

I have always wondered about that myself. If a movie really does scare me, i don't enjoy it. I HATE being scared, it's a horrible sensation. I only enjoy adrenaline rushes when i'm doing something fun..
So i'm not much help for answering your question, i'm just going to join you in asking it.

That which cannot be seen, commands the greatest fear........either that or we're all stupid!!

the walking contradiction

I think the reason people do extreme sports and watch scary movies are the exact same...people want the adrenaline rush. But the difference is that in the extreme sport there is a reason for it...and the chances of getting hurt are pretty high. But in a movie people get that same (or close to it) experience without having to actually risk anything. Sort of a cheap version of the same kinda rush. Kinda like t.v. let's you experience social interaction without actually participating. Like a drug that doesn't have any draw backs...save for the 12 bucks you pay to get in.

Blair Witch Project...such a good movie...and so freakin' damn scary. This is the one movie that the above reasoining does not apply to...watching this movie is a serious health hazard.

*~SunSpot~*

what can i say??

I have never understood why people enjoy being scared in movies. I've always hated it except for rare occasions when I want to challenge myself... Movies attached to the type of fear in Scream make me absolutely sick as I cannot imagine one ounce of entertainment in the killing of a girl with a knife by a stalker... I think it's pretty disgusting honestly and I don't enjoy it.. Just not my idea of fun and I don't need any visual images to add to the normal fears that happen walking down a street at night... Good question to ask. Why do ya'll like that stuff?

Question: Why do people love being scared to death in the cinema, or why do people like being scared to death?

Answer: It's not being scared that they like, it's the adrenaline that the body releases when they get scared.

Adrenaline is good (says one of the extreme unicyclists on the board)...

{In my humble opinion of course}

we have a break through, so far everyone has decided or considered that the body enjoys the adrenaline rush, surely there must be another reason why people enjoy being scared to death at the movies or, just scared to death, it can't all just be down to the adrenaline, im pretty sure of it, there has to be another reason!!!!

anyone else got a suggestion???