Yes, It's OK for Kids to Get Scared!

Go ahead, give them a frightso long as you do it right.

- GAIL CORNWALL

One parent might think it's all right to let a 7-year-old watch Jaws while another will rail against neighbors who meet their young trick-or-treaters with jump scares.

Who's right about kids and horror? According to science, both.

Margee Kerr, Ph.D., a sociologist who teaches and conducts research at the University of Pittsburgh, is the author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear. Kerr has spent years investigating the upsides of fright and learned a good deal about its potential pitfalls in the process. She and other experts say kids can benefit from scary experiences - under the right conditions. Some of those conditions are the same for all children, producing a few general rules, while others vary based on individual needs and preferences.

SCARY BENEFITS

Kerr says children can like being scared for a bunch of reasons: physiological, social and psychological. First, there's a natural high that comes with the flood of endorphins and adrenaline triggered by flipping one's nervous system into fight-or-flight mode. "It does pack a big neurochemical punch," she says, "and in the absence of real threat, that can make you feel like you are a superhero and just ready for anything." Her research shows that horror can also result in decreased brain activity, taking individuals "out of their everyday heads." A handful of other experiences, including meditation and exercise, produce a similar neurological effect.