Forget Diet and Exercise: Haunted Houses Will Make You More Attractive

That’s because the rate of attraction between partners increases after a recreationally scary experience like a haunted house, according to Jason Conover, a licensed clinical social worker at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Conover cited a study by Meston and Frohlich that studied the issue and said experts believe hormones, mainly adrenaline, intensify an experience shared between two people and increase the post-scare attraction score.

“When you go through really hard things with people, you tend to bond,” said Conover. “But that’s also something I would be conscious of. If your whole relationship is built on being scared, that can be a roller coaster of a different kind.”

But being rated as more attractive isn’t the only reason why people like being scared. Making it through a haunted house or scary movie can give someone a boost of confidence and sense of accomplishment. This bravery witnessed by friends or romantic partners makes a recreationally scary experience more desirable.

“I think that it’s a challenge. We’re apprehensive, but we rise up to that challenge, and there’s kind of a victory associated with doing hard, scary things,” Conover said.

A recreationally scary experience can also be enjoyable because it’s framed in fun. After a scare and gasp, people tend to laugh because they’re thrilled. This cycle happens over and over again, offering thrill-seekers an emotional release.

“I think we’re a little bit inhibited emotionally and this may give people a really fun outlet without drugs or alcohol – just a fun, emotional, social outlet,” Conover said.