Science reveals surprising truths about haunted houses

(Dan Tri) - Although it has not been proven that supernatural forces really exist in haunted houses, researchers have found unexpected positive effects at these locations.

Haunted houses can provide surprisingly effective therapy (Photo: Getty).

Entering an abandoned house in a deserted place, the first thing you feel is goosebumps, cold, even shaking legs. If you know that the house is haunted, surely, you will feel even more anxious, because you do not know that you will "encounter" supernatural forces at any time.

However, according to scientists , the feeling we have when visiting a haunted house can bring positive effects to the body. A study conducted by Aarhus University, Denmark, with the participation of 22 people proved this.

All participants were reportedly in a state of low-grade sepsis. They were taken by experts to visit a haunted house for 50 minutes. During that time, they were confronted by people dressed as murderous clowns, zombies, serial killers wielding chainsaws, wearing masks, etc.

During the 50-minute haunted house experience, participants reported an average fear level of 5.4, on a scale of 1 to 9. Their heart rate averaged about 112 beats per minute throughout the experience.

Three days later, the researchers found that the blood infections had improved in more than 80 percent of the participants. Remarkably, in nearly half of the participants, the infections had completely cleared.

Another study was conducted using the same haunted house, but included 91 volunteers in completely normal health conditions. The researchers noticed changes in the participants' immune systems.

They believe that when we enter a haunted house and are scared, the amount of adrenaline and endorphins in each of us will skyrocket. The body will then experience a feeling of excitement similar to when jogging, riding a roller coaster, or watching a horror movie.

At the same time, the body produces a number of immune cells in the blood, such as lymphocytes, which help destroy tumor cells; monocytes, which help find and destroy bacteria; and two types of white blood cells, called eosinophils and basophils.

The researchers concluded that when fear is aroused (for entertainment), it can affect the immune system by rebalancing levels of immune cells and inflammatory markers in the blood.

Although more research will be needed to fully understand this effect, early studies in mice have shown that fear and acute stress can stimulate the adrenal glands, which in turn activate adrenergic receptors on immune cells.

This adrenergic system promotes the fight-or-flight response. In mice, it appears to mobilize the animal's immune system in response to injury or potential infectious threats.

In humans, the adrenergic system has been shown to be activated through exposure to cold environments, and studies have linked these cold experiences to anti-inflammatory markers.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/khoa-hoc-chi-ra-su-that-bat-ngo-ve-ngoi-nha-ma-20241127105614877.htm