Even when we know it’s not real, we still get frightened and enjoy it. And there’s an evolutionary reason why some people and animals enjoy scary play —practicing coping skills for disturbing challenges in the real world.

We also can be morbidly drawn to tales of large-scale frightening situations such as natural disasters, pandemics, dangerous storms and apocalyptic events. “This is where the magic of a scary story really shines: it’s the only way to learn about and rehearse responses to dangers we have yet to face.”

Read more about how morbid curiosity seems to be associated with cooperation and risk management in people in the Scientific American article “The Evolutionary Reasons We Are Drawn to Horror Movies and Haunted Houses.”

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