User login
Photo by Graham Colm
Horror movies may actually be “blood-curdling,” according to a study published in The BMJ.
The research showed that watching a scary movie was associated with an increase in the clotting protein factor VIII (FVIII).
Study subjects were more likely to experience an increase in FVIII while watching a horror film than an educational film.
So using the term “blood-curdling” to describe feeling extreme fear may be justified, researchers said.
The term dates back to medieval times and is based on the concept that fear would “run the blood cold” or “curdle” the blood, but the validity of this theory has never been studied.
So Banne Nemeth, MD, of Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, and his colleagues set out to assess whether acute fear can curdle blood.
Their study involved 24 healthy volunteers age 30 or younger. Fourteen subjects were assigned to watch a frightening movie followed by a non-threatening educational movie, and 10 were assigned to watch the movies in reverse order.
The movies were viewed more than a week apart at the same time of day and in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Both lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Before and after each movie (within 15 minutes), blood samples were taken and analyzed for markers of clotting activity.
After each movie, participants rated the fear they experienced using a visual analogue fear scale ranging from 0 (no fear at all) to 10 (worst fear imaginable). They also reported whether they had already seen the movie and completed a general questionnaire on lifestyle and favorite movie genre.
The horror movie was perceived to be more frightening than the educational movie, with a 5.4 mean difference in fear rating scores.
The difference in FVIII levels before and after watching the movies was higher for the horror movie than for the educational movie. The mean difference of differences was 11.1 IU/dL (95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 21.0 IU/dL).
FVIII levels increased in 12 (57%) subjects during the horror movie and in 3 (14%) during the educational movie. FVIII levels decreased in 18 (86%) participants during the educational movie and in 9 (43%) during the horror movie.
However, the researchers found no effect of either movie on thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer, or prothrombin fragments 1+2. They said this suggests that although acute fear may trigger coagulation, it does not lead to actual clot formation.
The team pointed out some study limitations but concluded that, in young and healthy adults, “watching blood-curdling movies is associated with an increase in blood coagulant factor VIII without actual thrombin formation.”
The researchers believe this phenomenon may confer an important evolutionary benefit by preparing the body for blood loss during life-threatening situations. 
Photo by Graham Colm
Horror movies may actually be “blood-curdling,” according to a study published in The BMJ.
The research showed that watching a scary movie was associated with an increase in the clotting protein factor VIII (FVIII).
Study subjects were more likely to experience an increase in FVIII while watching a horror film than an educational film.
So using the term “blood-curdling” to describe feeling extreme fear may be justified, researchers said.
The term dates back to medieval times and is based on the concept that fear would “run the blood cold” or “curdle” the blood, but the validity of this theory has never been studied.
So Banne Nemeth, MD, of Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, and his colleagues set out to assess whether acute fear can curdle blood.
Their study involved 24 healthy volunteers age 30 or younger. Fourteen subjects were assigned to watch a frightening movie followed by a non-threatening educational movie, and 10 were assigned to watch the movies in reverse order.
The movies were viewed more than a week apart at the same time of day and in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Both lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Before and after each movie (within 15 minutes), blood samples were taken and analyzed for markers of clotting activity.
After each movie, participants rated the fear they experienced using a visual analogue fear scale ranging from 0 (no fear at all) to 10 (worst fear imaginable). They also reported whether they had already seen the movie and completed a general questionnaire on lifestyle and favorite movie genre.
The horror movie was perceived to be more frightening than the educational movie, with a 5.4 mean difference in fear rating scores.
The difference in FVIII levels before and after watching the movies was higher for the horror movie than for the educational movie. The mean difference of differences was 11.1 IU/dL (95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 21.0 IU/dL).
FVIII levels increased in 12 (57%) subjects during the horror movie and in 3 (14%) during the educational movie. FVIII levels decreased in 18 (86%) participants during the educational movie and in 9 (43%) during the horror movie.
However, the researchers found no effect of either movie on thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer, or prothrombin fragments 1+2. They said this suggests that although acute fear may trigger coagulation, it does not lead to actual clot formation.
The team pointed out some study limitations but concluded that, in young and healthy adults, “watching blood-curdling movies is associated with an increase in blood coagulant factor VIII without actual thrombin formation.”
The researchers believe this phenomenon may confer an important evolutionary benefit by preparing the body for blood loss during life-threatening situations.
Photo by Graham Colm
Horror movies may actually be “blood-curdling,” according to a study published in The BMJ.
The research showed that watching a scary movie was associated with an increase in the clotting protein factor VIII (FVIII).
Study subjects were more likely to experience an increase in FVIII while watching a horror film than an educational film.
So using the term “blood-curdling” to describe feeling extreme fear may be justified, researchers said.
The term dates back to medieval times and is based on the concept that fear would “run the blood cold” or “curdle” the blood, but the validity of this theory has never been studied.
So Banne Nemeth, MD, of Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, and his colleagues set out to assess whether acute fear can curdle blood.
Their study involved 24 healthy volunteers age 30 or younger. Fourteen subjects were assigned to watch a frightening movie followed by a non-threatening educational movie, and 10 were assigned to watch the movies in reverse order.
The movies were viewed more than a week apart at the same time of day and in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Both lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Before and after each movie (within 15 minutes), blood samples were taken and analyzed for markers of clotting activity.
After each movie, participants rated the fear they experienced using a visual analogue fear scale ranging from 0 (no fear at all) to 10 (worst fear imaginable). They also reported whether they had already seen the movie and completed a general questionnaire on lifestyle and favorite movie genre.
The horror movie was perceived to be more frightening than the educational movie, with a 5.4 mean difference in fear rating scores.
The difference in FVIII levels before and after watching the movies was higher for the horror movie than for the educational movie. The mean difference of differences was 11.1 IU/dL (95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 21.0 IU/dL).
FVIII levels increased in 12 (57%) subjects during the horror movie and in 3 (14%) during the educational movie. FVIII levels decreased in 18 (86%) participants during the educational movie and in 9 (43%) during the horror movie.
However, the researchers found no effect of either movie on thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer, or prothrombin fragments 1+2. They said this suggests that although acute fear may trigger coagulation, it does not lead to actual clot formation.
The team pointed out some study limitations but concluded that, in young and healthy adults, “watching blood-curdling movies is associated with an increase in blood coagulant factor VIII without actual thrombin formation.”
The researchers believe this phenomenon may confer an important evolutionary benefit by preparing the body for blood loss during life-threatening situations.