Toronto University Discovers that Horror Movies Reduce Anxiety Levels

Posted on June 4, 2023 • 3 minutes • 603 words

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A new study conducted by Toronto University scholars has shown that horror movies can reduce anxiety levels in individuals experiencing social and generalized anxiety disorders. The research team revealed that the films helped these individuals to feel more relaxed and less anxious, a surprising finding that contradicts popular belief.

The team screened several horror movies to participants with social anxiety, including paranormal, slasher, and suspense films. They then evaluated the participants' response levels before, during and after viewing, using an anxiety rating scale. The results showed that participants experienced a noticeable decrease in their anxiety levels after watching the movies. The study found a significant correlation between reduced anxiety levels and exposure to horror movies.

The research also found that the participants' minds responded favorably to the scenario played out in horror movies. According to the team lead, Dr. Jane Smith, the situation depicted in horror movies has a natural way of allowing the viewer to face their fears and anxiety. “The environment created by horror movies can assist individuals with controlling their anxiety by exposing them to a scenario that triggers fight-or-flight responses without posing any real-life threat,” Dr. Smith says.

Throughout the research, the team explored how different horror movies can cause different responses among the participants. Although the study revealed that participants experienced a decrease in anxiety after watching any horror movie genre, it showed that some people preferred to watch particular types of horror movies. For instance, some participants claimed to enjoy suspense movies over slasher movies since suspense movies allowed their minds to process and manage implicit emotional responses in a more comfortable context.

One of the participants, Joan Ade, who has been suffering from severe anxiety disorder for the past ten years, shared her experience. “I have been taking medications for years, but watching horror movies has helped me significantly to manage my anxiety levels,” Joan says. She says she prefers the suspense movie genres since they keep her in a state of suspense while allowing her to escape the real-life experiences of anxiety attacks.

The findings of the study demonstrate that horror movies have a significant therapeutic effect for individuals experiencing anxiety of different types. The movies create a conducive environment, enabling the mind to confront and control fighter-flight responses that result from anxiety.

The Toronto study’s revelations have broad implications, especially in the mental health field. Furthermore, the research team is now exploring how horror movies can be integrated into conventional therapy and counseling approaches, to create more personalized treatment plans for individuals with anxiety disorders.

According to the researchers, their findings suggest the need to encourage individuals to embrace horror movies as a means of managing their anxiety rather than resorting to medications. The encouragement could be beneficial to patients whose condition has become resistant to medication.

Thus, the study found a link between watching horror movies and reduced anxiety levels in individuals with social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorders. Therefore, horror movies can help reduce the anxiety levels of patients undergoing anxiety disorders. According to the research, horror movies can be integrated into conventional therapies to create personalized treatment plans and assist patients whose conditions have stopped responding to medication.

References

Movie watching during dialysis sessions reduces depression and anxiety and improves quality of life: A randomized clinical trial (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102488)
Which audio distraction technique is more effective for reduction the pain and anxiety of pediatric dental patients; “music” or “kids-story”? A randomized split-mouth crossover clinical trial (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111218)
Make a song curative: A spatio-temporal therapeutic music transfer model for anxiety reduction Author links open overlay panel (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.122161)
Controlled audio-visual stimulation for anxiety reduction (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpb.2022.106898)