The "Do You Like To Get Scared?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thinking back to when I was a child and being scared.  Can't remember any special occasion, but just the fact that I did get scared from time to time.  Heading up the stairs in our home at 929 North Queen Street to go to bed on a dark evening when the lights were out due to a heavy storm usually scared me.  Especially if my parents were away and my younger brother and I were being babysat by our grandmother who was small and frail.  Also got scared if I had to head down the stairs to our basement and all the lights were out due to a storm.  Never knew what I might encounter in that instance, since we had a coal bin and dirt floor.  Nighttime can be scary to children because of the uncertainty of darkness, but it can also be scary at times for adults.  If you have to take out the trash along a dark driveway when there are no lights and you hear strange noises.  Or, perhaps you are driving along a dark country road and you see a stranger walking in your direction on your side of the road.  Would that scare you?  Why do some of us, not me included, like to be scared?  I recently read that science can explain why some people love the heart-pounding, chest tightening, jumping-out-of-your seat feeling of a good scare.  The story I read said that it's an evolutionary core emotion that causes us to react when we sense danger, real or perceived.  Well, with Halloween taking place for many of us tonight, it gives us a chance to expose ourselves to something scary that will more than likely not hurt us.  Tonight might give us a chance to get a "good" scare that we can control.  If you know that you can control your fear, it is usually not as scary.  For some people, there are three factors that contribute to why they like to be scared: Psychological, Physical and Social.  Psychological allows someone to challenge a fear that can lead to a sense of accomplishment.  Physical allows our body to react to fear that we know probably won't hurt us.  Social allows emotions to run high when doing something with friends and not feeling scared.  Confronting things that scare you can make you more adaptable and resilient.  That doesn't mean you should force yourself into a haunted house.  Instead...try a new physical activity that might have scared you at one time or another.  The more you confront your fears, the less you will become scared.  Than again...just because I typed this and you read it doesn't mean you won't get scared if all the lights go out in your house at midnight for no good reason and you hear creepy noises in your basement.  But...don't call me for help...cause I don't answer the phone if I don't know who is calling and I would never venture out in the dark on a spooky night. Now, that's really scary!  Isn't it?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.