Why Do People Love The Thrill of Being Scared [VIDEO]

Why do people like getting scared this time of year?  I'm not one of those people but I certainly have many friends and members of my family that love the thrill of getting scared, watching horror films and dressing up in the scare costumes that are fashionable each year.

Halloween is big business.  Very big business.  According to a report I saw on NBC news, it's the the third largest party day in the US, behind New Year's Eve and the big game in January.  Retail wise, Halloween is second to Christmas in decorating.  Americans spend close to 7 billion dollars on Halloween.  Scary huh?

Getting back to my original question, why do people love fear so much?  According to a study at the University of Ireland, "Fear and pleasure are very closely related. The same physiological reactions occur in both cases."

So whatever you decide to do this Halloween, scare yourself safely and have a frightfully wonderful weekend.

[via Independent]