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Discusses scientific and psychoanalytic explanations, including brain chemistry involved in suspense enjoyment and Freud’s Death Instinct (Thanatos) as a lens for why horror can produce pleasure and curiosity. Examines shifts from early fear-of-the-unknown storytelling to post-1980s horror informed by behavioral science and understanding of serial killers, using examples such as The Silence of the Lambs.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-impact-of-psychology-on-horror-literature-thesis-paper/515774/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-impact-of-psychology-on-horror-literature-thesis-paper/515774.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Blitz","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-24","2026-10-06",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why do humans enjoy being afraid in horror stories and movies?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Modern entertainment provides a “Safety Net,” reducing real danger while allowing readers to experience fear benefits without the usual “fight or flight” response. 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Later authors adapt horror to scare readers with what is known about the killer’s mind rather than concealing identity as earlier works often did.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},515774,1791385915,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},24464137899374,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","0  \nThe Impact of Psychology on Horror Literature  \nPreston Davis  \nCommittee Members:  \nKristi Braley  \nMike Cobb  \nSarah White  \n20 April 2020  \nDavis 1  \nAcknowledgement  \nFirst and foremost, I wish to thank my parents for allowing me to be a part of a program that gave me the opportunity to write this paper. I also want to thank my thesis committee. Mr. Cobb, Mrs. Braley, and Mrs. White have all been incredibly helpful to me in this process. Lastly, a special thanks to Mrs. Billings, who helped me to write about something I’m passionate about.  \nDavis 2  \nTable of Contents  \nAcknowledgement………………………………………………………………….1  \nTable of Contents…………………………………………………………………...2  \nI. Introduction……………………………………………………………….....3  \nII. Changes in the 1980s………………………………………………………...6  \nIII. Early 20th Century Horror………………………………………………….11  \nIV. Psychopathy………………………………………………………………...16  \nV. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….22  \nVI. Works Cited………………………………………………………………...25  \nDavis 3  \nI. Introduction  \nFear is an inherent part of the human experience. It is designed to keep us safe. It was fears like acrophobia, arachnophobia, and hydrophobia that kept our primitive ancestors alive for centuries. But, in more recent times, humans have adapted fear into a form of entertainment. During the late 20th century, authors adapted our fear into a new genre of horror novels focused on serial killers and the fear of the unknown.  \nWhy is it that humans have grown to like being afraid? Dr. Christopher Dweyer explains there are five reasons why modern entertainment allows us to enjoy being scared. The first and most important reason why we are able to enjoy being afraid is “The Safety Net” that books and movies provide (Dwyer). Fear is a natural response to danger, but knowing that we aren’t in any real danger allows us to experience the benefits of fear without going into the “fight or flight”mode that we normally experience under pressure.  \nThere are many benefits of being scared in the short-term. The most tangible benefit is the release of chemicals in the brain that cause pleasure. The “rush” people describe while watching a scary movie or reading a suspenseful story is the result of a release of endorphins and dopamine. This hormone and neurotransmitter creates a drug-like state of euphoria when it is released. The same chemical that makes us like certain foods also makes us enjoy being scared (Dweyer). There is also enjoyment found in the satisfaction of finishing a horror novel or movie. Dwyer reports watching The Shining without looking away and feeling an immense amount of pride.  \nDavis 4  \nAnother emotional response is one of a bond between people. In horror movies, people watching a film together often feel closer through their own fear. I have found that this same bond can be formed between a character in a novel and the reader. In Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, the reader is able to feel the same fear that the young FBI trainee Clarice Starling feels when first encountering the cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. Through this, one is able to empathize with the characters of the book.  \nThe final reason that we enjoy being scared is particularly important to me, and it inspired the creation of this thesis paper. Sigmund Freud’s Death Instinct, known as Thanatos provides some psychoanalytic insight into why horror creates pleasure and, in my experience, curiosity. Freud believed that, as death is a part of life, people are naturally infatuated with death (Cherry) . He asserted that this is why many people are fascinated with “dark” or “evil” things.  \nI don’t believe that my personal infatuation with serial killer novels results from curiosity about death. Rather it is a fascination with psychology. It was psychology, in fact, that sparked the change in literature and led to the creation of the new horror genre that this thesis seeks to address. In order to understand the changes that came to the horror genre, it is important to understand ","cbCaisYS0a12dZdt","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisYS0a12dZdt","pdf",145957,29,"English","# Acknowledgement\n# Table of Contents\n# I. Introduction\n# II. Changes in the 1980s\n# III. Early 20th Century Horror\n# IV. Psychopathy\n# V. Conclusion\n# VI. Works Cited","[{\"question\":\"Why do humans enjoy being afraid in horror stories and movies?\",\"answer\":\"Modern entertainment provides a “Safety Net,” reducing real danger while allowing readers to experience fear benefits without the usual “fight or flight” response. It also creates pleasure through neurochemical releases and engagement with suspense.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the document explain the psychological benefits of fear?\",\"answer\":\"Short-term enjoyment includes a “rush” from endorphins and dopamine, producing a drug-like euphoria. 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