From Spooky to Sensual in Seconds - Turning Creepy Chills into Sexy Thrills

It’s the oldest trick in the book to watch a scary movie when you want to get your hands on a certain someone tightly. And there’s a scientific reason why it works too.



Well, according to the experts, when we’re scared, our brains pump out the feel-good chemical dopamine, the same chemical we release when we’re infatuated with someone. Your heart races and you can become addicted to that feeling—as the euphoric serotonin hormone also shoots up.



These chemicals, dopamine and serotonin, are also activated when we fall for someone. They give us that euphoric feeling, and are the reason we crave less food and sleep when we’re crazy in love.



Being frightened creates the same sort of exhilarating feeling. Maybe that is why roleplaying and sex with a stranger are so high on many people’s bedroom bucket lists.



If you do some scary activities then this will increase your overall arousal level, and as we know, you are much more likely to be extremely passionate when your arousal is high.



So if you are looking to boost your sex life or just fancy trying something different, getting scared with a slasher film (heck, even a super-intense drama) can boost dopamine, to give you that infatuated and lustful feeling. The arousal from being frightened becomes mixed up with the arousal of sexual attraction. The proof’s in the science.



The technical term is “misattribution of arousal.” In one study, a pretty woman stood at the end of either a “safe” or “scary” bridge. Men walked across one of the bridges and took a survey with the woman. She then gave out her number. Later, the guys crossing the scarier bridge were more likely to call her. The theory goes that the men mistook their anxiety for sexual attraction toward the woman.



So theoretically, your scary movie plan could backfire, and you could simply crave the main character in your film instead of your prospective bed buddy.


If you’re watching a scary film, you’ll attribute most of the arousal to the movie. It’s an easy explanation for why you’re scared out of your wits. That said, when the movie is over, the arousal doesn’t disappear right away. You’ll still have some energy in your system. That energy has got to be spent doing something, right? ;-)



You don’t have to wait for a thriller release to get the effect. Doing anything out-of-the-ordinary can give you a surge of good feelings. Even great music can literally make us randy…ahem…concert or movie anyone?

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