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Heather Greenwood Davis, a Toronto-based travel writer and the website's contributing editor, explores the benefits of "safe fear" experiences for children during Halloween.
Not all fear responses are equal. While everyone's physiological response to fear is the same, the brain's emotional response varies. This is where the concept of "safe fear" comes into play.
Sociologist Margee Kerr, a fear specialist and haunted house consultant, suggests that the right kind of fright can be mentally good for children. Kerr points to a study published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, suggesting that being in a safe environment has a huge impact on how we manage stress, particularly during scary experiences.
Experiencing "safe fear" through haunted houses and scary movies can benefit a child's emotional development and self-confidence. This controlled exposure to fear in a safe environment helps children practice managing fear and distress, building emotional resilience and self-regulation skills. It also allows them to explore their limits and gradually develop confidence in their ability to cope with scary or uncertain situations.
Children learn best and grow emotionally when they feel safe rather than genuinely scared or threatened. Controlled, playful fear experiences like haunted houses or scary movies offer a way to feel afraid without real danger, allowing children to practice handling fear while anchored in safety.
Such experiences can help children develop a secure base of emotional safety, especially when supported by adults who reassure and comfort them afterward. Feeling safe despite scary stimuli enables children to build trust in their own capacity to regulate emotions and recover from stress.
Gradual, manageable exposure to fear can empower children by giving them a sense of control over distressing emotions, which improves self-confidence and reduces helplessness. Overall, providing appropriate fearful challenges in a safe, supportive context promotes emotional intelligence, self-confidence, and resilience that benefits broader psychological development.
If a child shows interest in something that might be a little too mature or lead to dangerous behavior, asking them questions about it can help understand their interest and concerns. For instance, a 10-year-old, Lila McGinn, is excited about dressing up as a bloody bride for Halloween.
Dealing with harmless fear is similar to the way kids learn from risky play: Each experience teaches them how to cope with and manage stress. Recovering from a scary experience releases endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, and other neurochemicals associated with feeling good.
Pediatric neuropsychologist Sam Goldstein states that fear can increase adrenaline, which intensifies feelings of alertness, energy, and strength. However, it's essential to remember that not all fear responses are equal, and it's crucial to recognise a child's reaction to scary situations and meet them where they are.
In sum, "safe fear" experiences help children develop emotional self-regulation and confidence by allowing them to encounter and master fear in a non-threatening setting, fostering growth rather than shutdown or trauma. Embracing frightening-yet-harmless situations might help children manage future stressful situations.
- Heather Greenwood Davis, a travel writer, discusses the benefits of "safe fear" experiences for children during Halloween, where they can learn and grow emotionally in a controlled and safe environment.
- Sociologist Margee Kerr suggests that the right kind of fright, like that found in haunted houses, can be mentally beneficial for children, helping them practice managing fear and distress, and building emotional resilience.
- The study published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory supports the idea of children being in a safe environment having a significant impact on their ability to handle stress, especially during scary experiences.
- Engaging in "safe fear" experiences can empower children by giving them a sense of control over distressing emotions, which improves self-confidence, reduces helplessness, and promotes overall psychological development.
- To understand a child's interest and concerns, parents can ask questions about mature or potentially dangerous topics, such as a child's enthusiasm for a blood-themed Halloween costume, helping them learn how to cope with and manage stress.
