Scary movies can help us navigate real-life fears and anxieties, psychologist says

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Scary movies — love them or hate them — are almost unavoidable this time of year. But, they might not be just mindless entertainment.

Psychologist Doctor Mary Poffenroth says scary movies allow people to talk about heavy topics.

"You get to play around with these fears in a safe space,” she said. "Death or murder and these things that you don't really talk about, and you can do it while talking about the movie.”

That can also act as a bonding experience and a dress rehearsal of sorts for an extreme tragedy like a home invasion or a zombie apocalypse.

She says discussion and planning can help soothe people and make them feel like they are “more in control of a chaotic world.”

In her new book, “ Brave New You ,” Poffenroth shows us how to turn fears into everyday courage.

"I wanted to give people tools that are evidence-based, rooted in science, that they can use on the spot to help them navigate their just totally normal, everyday fears that are gonna come up when we are doing hard stuff,” she said.