Enjoying scary movies

Research has found that willing exposure to that which scares us can provide a counterbalance to life's stresses:

• It may be an effective way to undermine anxiety and even bolster our resilience.
• It is intentionally triggering our fight-or-flight response in an environment where we control the variables.
• Manageable bouts of "good stress" can generate an immune response that strengthens the immune system against bigger threats.
• The scary movies offer social-bonding benefits when we talk about the movie afterwards to our friends.