Pandemic resilience: Horror movies and mental fortitude
In March 2020, the world shut down. COVID-19 lockdowns forced office closures. The gym was abandoned. Even trips to the grocery store felt dangerous.
One word kept getting thrown around: Resilience. It was a major topic for essential workers like frontline healthcare professionals—how long could they continue in this difficult and dangerous environment? What measures could make their already difficult jobs less stressful?
As COVID safety protocols extended and expanded, resilience became a watch word for the entire population. How long would we be cooped up? When would we see our loved ones? Would we ever recover?
One group was at an unexpected advantage in dealing with pandemic safety measures. For years, they had unknowingly prepared themselves for the mental strain of a global pandemic. No, not therapists. According to a 322-person study, horror movie fans were the most psychologically resilient at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. But why?
Two types of fans
The horror genre is incredibly diverse. There are ghosts, ghouls, goblins, demons, slashers, zombies, vampires, monsters, aliens, and everything in between. To fully assess the psychological resilience of horror fans, the researchers divided them into two broad categories. General horror buffs enjoyed the spooky standards like vengeful spirits, while “prepper” fans were drawn to apocalyptic scenarios like infections and invasions. Both groups showed notable resilience at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, but they did so in diverging ways.
Because of their regular exposure to scary content, general horror buffs were better at regulating emotions related to fear and experienced less psychological distress overall. Unsurprisingly, the inherent morbid curiosity of many “preppers” led to fewer negative disruptions during the lockdown. Pandemic-specific films like Outbreak (1995) and Contagion (2011) were an interesting sub-category of the prepper genre. Fans of these movies demonstrated positive resilience, meaning they were more able to experience positive emotional states amid the pandemic.
Study takeaways
The study demonstrated an association between psychological resilience and horror fandom. The authors hypothesized that scary film and television preferences act as a simulation, allowing a safe space to practice emotional regulation. Essentially, horror movies functioned as a form of exposure therapy for real-life frightening situations.
Despite the connection between the participants’ mental resilience and fondness for horror, the study results only reveal a correlation. Further research will be needed to determine any causal relationship between horror fandom and pandemic resilience. Regardless, those who entertained themselves with worst-case scenarios appeared to be more resilient to the grim realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Everyone knows someone who’s really into horror movies. Whether you’re the one with the projector or the one covering your eyes this Halloween, it turns out that spooky content is good for more than just a fun seasonal activity. Fictional horrors can also help people adjust to real-life fear and anxiety.