Our Brain When Reading Horror Books – Survival Mechanism

I’ll tell you a little about how the brain behaves when reading horror books.

I’ll be concise in this article, because it was nice to learn why so many readers who read my paranormal romance books end up telling me, “Kassfinol, I won’t read the horror books because they scare me too much.”

I’m fascinated by horror, but I know the cause: I’m addicted to adrenaline, which in scientific terms translates to:

I like putting my body in danger (Just by reading, I’m not that dumb) 😛, I like deciding between: Run or fight; and obviously I always stay, and I let my body activate my survival mechanism.

Can Reading Activate Our Survival Mechanism?

Yes —” why do I say this? The truth, according to scientists, is that everything we see, Mr. Brain believes is real, so when watching a movie or reading horror books, the reactions will be just as traumatic as if they were really happening in real life.

Our brain doesn’t distinguish reality from fiction (this explains why sometimes we fall in love with the protagonists, but that’s another thing I won’t talk about here), which is why it prepares us to survive.

What Does the Brain Do When Reading Horror Books?

Mr. Brain is intriguing: he wants you to survive and he’ll do everything so your body does; that’s why he activates the survival mechanism and you end up feeling all of this:

• It speeds up your heart rate, forcing the body to increase its breathing rate so your muscles get oxygen and you can Run! Or, in the other case, so you have better ability to move quickly; you know, defend yourself, fight, swing a bat, or slam the book shut. 😯
• It increases your reaction and concentration capacity; the body will focus only on whatever is causing the danger, which is why you can get startled, scream, or get upset with the greatest ease.

Being afraid…

• If you’re not too familiar with this whole being afraid thing, you can go pale because there are cases where the blood vessels contract in several parts of the body; this also answers why people gripped by panic turn red.
• Your stomach and intestines shut down, that is, the brain stops the digestive functions (There are brains that life has really messed up, because I’ve seen scared people throw up, hahaha it always seemed very funny to me) 😆
• Your mouth goes dry, because the brain also suppresses those glands (You’re not going to eat or talk, you’re going to act, and the brain knows it).
• It improves your vision because your pupils dilate, the “tunnel vision” effect kicks in, and guess what… You lose your hearing. That’s why in moments when you’re very scared, you see everything better, like in slow motion, and you don’t remember sounds — only the loud ones — since you’re focused on what scares you and that’s all you’ll hear and listen to.

Other effects…

• When reading horror books or watching movies of this genre, your brain clots the blood more, to prepare it in case you get cut or wounded so it clots faster and you don’t bleed to death (The brain is very smart). 😯
• A later effect is that it will cause you insomnia, because the brain will create memories of whatever stressed it so that when you see it again, you move away from it more easily.

Conclusion on How Our Brain Behaves When Reading Horror Books:

Definitely, after explaining all of this, it’s clear to me that if you want to watch or read something horror-related, you have two options: run, or put up with the effects described above along with the adrenaline rush.

(Although there are some who freeze when they get scared and do nothing).

Now I understand that feeling fear is activating the survival mechanisms. And I find it fascinating that horror books can confuse our brain in such a way.

Girls, I won’t force you to read my horror stories anymore, I promise, and a thousand thanks to all of you who have accepted my offer and exposed your body to that tremendous stress.

But on the other hand, you can tell me: What do you feel when reading horror books? See you later

😉

If you want to feel everything I described in this post, I invite you to read my suspense, drama and horror books; you can click on each of their covers and keep them: