Pretty much NO ONE!It was a dark and stormy night. Shadows play across your window as the lightning flashes. Branches knock and the wind howls along the outside walls of your house. Between the distant rumble of thunder, the only other sound is the ticking of your clock. What makes good horror stories? And why do they appeal to us so much? What is the attraction in being scared? There have been studies on why we love a good scary story and some of the reasons may surprise you. It can actually be attributed to brain chemistry. Your hypothalamus, the part of your brain that reacts to being threatened or scared activates when it sees or feels something that it perceives as a threat. This releases a WHOLE bunch of hormones, but most importantly, adrenaline, that prepares you for a fight or to flight (run). You may be thinking... This makes me like scary stories? It doesn’t sound too fun. But this is what makes us look forward to that next jump scare... As soon as your mind realizes that the danger is not real, it also releases endorphins! Those make you feel a happy, safe and warm! So that sounds a little more like it. What we love is that build up of fear and adrenaline and then that warm and fuzzy feeling of endorphins! This is what makes people “fall in love” with... Scary movies. Yep. Horror stories. Yep Haunted Houses. Absolutely! So, next time you are looking to get a “rush” take a look at some of the great horror that is offered in the Summit Hill Junior High Library! Go to “Spartan Reads” page to find a Horror Story book talk that will point you in the right direction. And to get everyone in the mood for this spooky time of year, here is a Haunted House Breakout Room! Just click the link below and follow the clues to escape the Haunted House. Enjoy! Learn more here: “Fight or Flight: The Science of Fear...and Why We Like Scary Movies”. Penn Medicine, Philadelphia. 2017. https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2017/october/fear
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Mrs. ScuderiI have been a school librarian for 8 years. This is my third year at Summit Hill Junior High. Archives
September 2022
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