The Science Behind Fear
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Halloween is filled with frightful sights and plenty of ghosts and goblins. Experts say there's a science behind fear. Fear is something that most of us experience at some point. Beyond haunted houses, fear is a basic human instinct. Many are afraid of things like spiders, flying, heights, public speaking ...and death. It's normal.
"Fear is there to protect us," says Elizabeth Gordon, Ph.D. The Philadelphia psychology resident says the emotion of fear helps keep us safe. "People fear things that would have been dangerous as we evolved. A lot of things we see at Halloween play on natural fears we have to things like spiders."
Talk about spooky, the Eastern State Penitentiary is all creeped out for Halloween with terror behind the walls. "People like to be scared because it's that intense experience, people get that adrenalin rush," says Brett Bertolino, the Director of Operations at Terror Behind the Walls. He says the exhibits play on the unknown and unexpected. "One attraction is dark, people are afraid of the dark, what might be in there and that attraction has spiders snakes, rats... things people afraid of," Bertolino explains.
So go ahead, be afraid, enjoy that scary rush, but be ready for your body to react. There's a natural physical response to fear. "Your heart would race, pupils dilate, heavy breathing, sometimes stomach distress, sometimes dizziness ," Gordon says. Experts say people who enjoy that rush of being scared also tend to be thrill seekers, they like roller coasters. And when it comes to fears about things like flying or public speaking the experts say - just do it - continued exposure will eventually help reduce the fear.