Quickie: Do Horror Movies Make You Horny?
Why you want to get bumped in the night after a good scare
Does the power of a scary movie compel you to hit the sheets with your partner or spend some quality time with a sex toy? If so, you’re far from the only one who wants to get bumped in the night after being scared to death by something you saw on the screen.
“When we’re watching horror movies…it makes us have stronger feelings of sexual attraction towards other people.” — Lia Holmgren
The reason is linked to the way we’re wired and certified sex therapist Dr. Holly Richmond explained it to Refinery 29 this way:
“When we’re scared our blood naturally is pulled to our extremities, so that we can run faster. When we’re turned on, the blood flows to our genitals….Cortisol levels go up both when we’re scared, and when we’re aroused, specifically in situations with new partners, or when there’s a novel aspect to sex.”
Also, when we’re afraid, we want to be close to the person we’re watching the scary movie with, according to intimacy and relationship coach Lia Holmgren. This is a tendency that is also hardwired in our brain and has been instrumental to our survival as a species.
