It’s that time of year again when scary movies play on every station and everyone is looking for a thrill, some more than others, but everyone enjoys a good adrenaline rush. Is it human nature or something more?

“The brain hasn’t really adapted to the new technology [of movies],” Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication at Purdue University, explains, “We can tell ourselves the images on the screen are not real, but emotionally our brain reacts as if they are … our  ‘old brain’ still governs our reactions.” Attraction is basic human biology. The human brain hasn’t fully adapted to not needing spears and running from wolves. Somewhere deep in our brains we are still primitive. People seek the thrill to exercise that need. Stephen King, critically acclaimed author, believes it is an outlet for human aggression and anger. He believes everyone is a psychopath deep down, those who like to be scared are just a little more crazy than others.

Fear triggers the fight or flight response. When the fight or flight response is triggered the brain releases many chemicals including adrenaline or noradrenaline, the feeling of these chemicals can become addicting. At first it may take only a few minutes of a thriller movie to get someone’s fix, but just like any other addiction, it grows. Soon the brain will respond less to these chemicals. This means it will take more so scare someone who frequently watches horror movies.

Crazy or scared? Fight or flight? Nature or nurture? With so many factors affecting people today, it’s hard to decipher why some people love a good thrill and others rather watch a romantic comedy. But at the end of the day, it’s all fun and games.