The Appeal of Haunted Houses
Haunted houses are a big attraction around Halloween since the 19th century, when they were invented. These spooky attractions originated in London during the early 19th century. The first haunted houses had wax sculptures of decapitated figures like Marie Antoinette, and King Louis XVI. More haunted houses started having a performance aspect in the 20th century. The Paris theater Grand Guignol was known for its performances of graphic dismemberment.
Although not everyone enjoys being afraid there are still people who seek out that feeling. The natural high from flight or flight responses can feel great. A hormone released during thrilling and scary situations is dopamine, some individuals get more of a kick out than others. Adrenaline is also a well known hormone associated with fear and dangerous activities.
For most people to enjoy a scary situation you have to know you are in a safe environment and not actually in danger. Haunted houses use different methods to mess with our senses by using different sounds, lighting, and smells. These thing can activate a physical response in the body but our brain has the time to process that these things are not real threats that could harm us.
Confidence is something everyone strives to have and haunted houses and be a good source. When finishing a haunted house your self esteem can be boosted by the though of you completing something hard or difficult.
Despite whether haunted house are liked personally or not no one can deny the mass popularity of them. Being so popular many of these attractions require tickets bought beforehand.
