14. Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?

           Ringo wrote an article about an interview with Dr. Margee Kerr who is the staff sociologist at ScareHouse and also a specialist in the area of fear. Margee mentioned that some people like the feeling of fear because their body overproduces the hormones dopamine, adrenaline and endorphins when they are in thrilling situations. These hormones make the person enjoy these scary situations more than the other people. Another reason for the people to like risky situations is that it gives them a sense of confidence once everything is over. An example would be finishing a scary movie because then the person would feel proud of themselves for being able to watch the entire movie. Margee recommends the parents not give their children scary content because the chemicals that are released in the body during these situations might be harmful for them since it leaves strong memories that can traumatize them for the rest of their lives. The hunted house is especially popular within the people because it stimulates the production of the hormones in a safe space. It triggers our senses that are directly tied with our fear response and therefore, activating a physical reaction. However, our brain is knows that the scary monsters inside the hunt house is not real threat, therefore, causing the people to laugh right after they get scared. Margee also explains that our socialization and the society in which we are raised can also affect the things that we find scary. Human are often scared of monsters because they are violating in some way the general law since some returned from the afterlife and the others have some non-human powers. Human are also very curious of our afterlife because we kept on creating monsters to explain what might happen to us after death. These scary situations can also improve the social relationships between the people because it produces strong emotional responses that produce stronger relationships and memories. 

            Ringo wrote a well supported article to inform the readers about the people`s response toward fear. She used many examples throughout her essay to prove her point such as her description of the evolution of roller coasters to show that the people are looking for more excited entertainments and Barnum`s American Museum that exhibits scary characters to frighten the people.  Her use of specific vocabularies, for example, the names of the hormones, was very good because she was able to transmit the main idea of the article, which is about the effects of fear on the people. She also consulted many specialists, for instance Dr. Margee Kerr to increase the credibility of her essay and she also described the new research of David Zald. Her use of daily basis example makes the readers easier to relate to the situation mentioned in the article. An example would be when she wrote about the people telling ghost stories around the campfire because many readers have done this before in their life, making the example easier to comprehend. The organization of the article is easy to understand because the questions indicate what the next paragraph is going to talk about. This strategy makes it easier for the readers to have a preview of the subject before they start reading the actual paragraph. This article is suitable for all types of audience because the subject is interesting for both adults and teenagers. Her style of writing is relaxing and easy to understand, making the readers interested in the subject throughout her article. However, the author could have used more transitions between the different topics that she wrote about so that the article may have a better flow.Overall, this article is well organized because of its simple vocabularies that makes the essay easy to understand and straight to the point. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/