Shock horror – why we’re drawn to the fear factor

FOR the final season of Stranger Things, millions of fans will take one last plunge into the Upside Down to watch an epic showdown against Vecna as he threatens the town of Hawkins - and the entire world.

- writes Edward White

But what sparks our collective fascination with this dark, horror-filled universe?

The answer lies in psychological and philosophical principles which shed light on why we're drawn not only to entertainment but also to information.

Understanding why millions willingly immerse themselves in the terrifying world of the Upside Down reveals deep truths about human nature and our relationship with fear.

From ghost stories to true crime documentaries, our obsession with the macabre stems from a bias towards negativity: the tendency to react more strongly to negative information than to positive or neutral content.

This negativity bias evolved as an alert system - our fight-or-flight response to threats. Today, since we no longer face sabre-toothed tigers, this alertness has transformed into a thrill-seeking drive to pursue frightening content for its intense arousal.

This explains why viewers are simultaneously scared and captivated by scenes like the traumatic flashbacks of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) or the Demogorgon’s savage attacks. Our brains are wired to respond to danger, even in make-believe scenarios.

Research into horror psychology shows that sensation-seekers actively chase negative stimuli to boost their sense of excitement. Cross-cultural studies on curiosity about morbid topics, meanwhile, reveal this attraction appears across diverse human cultures and is rooted in stable psychological mechanisms rather than culture-specific ones.