In the words of Appleton, these are, evolutionarily speaking, places where “you can see without being seen, and eat without being eaten.” Attractive places offer us a lot of prospect and a lot of refuge, or what landscape architect Randolph Hester refers to as a “Womb with a View.” Refuge means having a secure, protected place to hide where one can be sheltered from danger, while prospect refers to one’s clear, unobstructed view of the landscape. A womb with a viewīritish geographer Jay Appleton was the first to describe two crucial features that determine whether a place is attractive or frightening to humans: the more “prospect” and “refuge” a place offers us, the more attractive it is. Escape could further be impeded by hedges, iron fences or crumbling stairways, all of which are featured prominently in Hollywood haunted houses. National Archives/Wikimedia CommonsĪlso, the darkness and confusing layout of the house may cause us to get lost at the very least, it would slow us down. (Conveniently, in old horror movies the telephones always stop working.)Įxterior shots of Oregon’s remote Timberline Lodge were used for The Shining’s haunted Overlook Hotel. If bad things do happen, help would be a long time coming, even if communication with the outside world were possible. The prototypical haunted house is in a remote, isolated location, far removed from the rest of society (think of the off-season resort hotel in The Shining, for example). Such feelings of discomfort are symptomatic of the fact that we are constantly – even if unconsciously – scanning our surroundings and assessing our ability to flee if it should become necessary.Ĭonsequently, a haunted house is our worst nightmare. We feel uncomfortable when our personal space is violated anywhere, but especially so in situations where we feel as if escape will become difficult. Research has consistently shown that we need more personal space while seated than while standing, more space when we are in the corner of a room rather than in the center of it and more space in rooms with low ceilings. Things that activate hypervigilance for malevolent supernatural (or natural) agents abound in large, drafty old houses: rattling or creaking sounds in upstairs rooms the sighing and moaning of wind passing through cracks ragged curtains fluttering in the breeze echoes and cold spots. Thus, we evolved to err on the side of detecting threats in ambiguous situations. But if you fail to activate the alarm response and a true threat is present – well, the cost of your miscalculation could be high. If it turns out to be a gust of wind or a stray cat, you lose little by overreacting. You’ll behave as if there is a willful “agent” present who is about to do you harm. 'Woods' via If you’re walking through the woods alone at night and hear the sound of something rustling in the bushes, you’ll respond with a heightened level of arousal and attention. Things that trigger our ‘agent detection’ mechanismsĮvolutionary psychologists have proposed the existence of agent detection mechanisms – or processes that have evolved to protect us from harm at the hands of predators and enemies.Īgent detection mechanisms, activate. While human psychology can explain what makes a haunted house so scary, it also provides the perfect guide to making one ourselves. They also help you manage the balance between self- preservation and self- presentation (ie, presenting yourself in a socially desirable way). These are the psychological mechanisms behind feeling “creeped out.” They may be useful if they help you maintain vigilance when threat is uncertain. On the other hand, it could be perilous to ignore your intuition and remain in a place that is dangerous. This ambivalence leaves you frozen in place, wallowing in unease.įor example, it would be considered bizarre and embarrassing to run screaming out of a house that makes you feel uneasy if there is actually nothing to fear. Haunted houses give us the creeps not because they pose a clear threat to us, but rather because it is unclear whether or not they represent a threat.
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