Here’s how fear affects your brain and body

In fact, Kiecolt-Glaser explains that too frequent or prolonged release of stress hormones “can wear down the body.” For some people, she says, “it can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems, digestive problems, and immune system dysregulation because your body is constantly on alert.”

And because adrenaline was found To prevent damage to heart tissue in some people, those with heart disease need to be especially careful. “I recommend avoiding intentional jump scares if you suffer from cardiac arrhythmias,” advises Millstine.

The same goes for people who suffer from chronic back pain, “since the abrupt muscle contractions that occur when you’re startled can trigger muscle spasms and worsen symptoms,” she adds.

Overexposure to jump scares can also desensitize you to fear – which, again, is an important evolutionary survival response. “People who enjoy horror films or regularly visit haunted houses may not react as strongly to real dangers because their brains become accustomed to these situations through a process called habituation,” says Carter.

Another consideration is that people with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or anxiety disorder “may have an overactive amygdala, which causes their fear response to be more dramatic or affect them more than other people,” says Hemendinger. Such people, she says, “could benefit from skipping the haunted houses this year.”