The man behind the mask

Ever wonder why simply dressing like someone else can make you feel like someone else? Leonard Newman, director of social psychology at Syracuse University, said the appeal of a costume is the chance to assume a different identity.

“There’s something about putting on a costume and assuming a different identity that seems to kind of release people from some of their usual inhibitions,” said Newman. “As if the usual standards you hold yourself to don’t apply.”

Newman adds: “Sometimes that just leads to being more silly, and more fun. And sometimes it can lead to other things… not just being more willing to egg and toilet paper your neighbor’s house.”

Simply put, costumes can cause the wearer to do some uncharacteristic things. (We’ve all seen the normally mild-mannered woman dressed as Little Bo Peep act in an, um, unusually friendly way on Halloween.)

Like having one too many shots of Cuervo, donning a costume can lead the wearer to do things they wouldn’t usually do, largely because looking like a different person means you feel like a different person, and that can skew your perception of consequences of your actions.

“But of course, the consequences really do apply to you,” Newman said.

The thrill of the scare

What is it about the clammy hands, racing heart and goosebumps brought on by fear that make being scared fun?

The rush that you exhibit when you’re scared – the kind of “scared” brought on by being startled by a haunted hayride, for example – is the result of endorphins released by your body in response to the scenario.

According to the California Science Center:

“This may be explained in part by the activity of chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which carry signals between neurons in the brain and body. Some scientists believe thrill-seeking daredevils get more enjoyment out of such fear-inducing activities because their levels of a neurotransmitter called dopamine increase more than normal during such experiences. The result can be a feeling of pleasure or euphoria.”

So, fear is fun! But only when your logic tells you there isn’t a real danger present.

Scared to death

In North Carolina last year, a man was charged with first-degree murder when he broke into a 79-year-old woman’s home, hid there, and literally scared her to death. The woman died from a heart attack prosecutors claimed was triggered by terror she experienced as a result of the home invasion.

In an interview with Scientific American, neurologist Dr. Martin A. Samuels states that under specific conditions, a person can experience a chemical response to fear that their body cannot handle… and they are scared to death.

Samuels describes that humans’ inherent fight-or-flight response floods the nervous system with adrenaline, which opens calcium ion channels in the heart to make it contract. If the amount of adrenaline is overwhelming, it can trigger abnormal heart rhythms and death.

“A predisposition to heart disease would probably increase your risk of sudden death, but it happens at all ages and can happen to otherwise healthy people,” Samuels adds in the interview.

To read the full story, click here .

But don’t let that stop you from getting into the Halloween …visit Scarycuse.com and find a haunted house, hayride or corn maze near you!