A common theme among horror films is the nerve-wracking soundtrack that instills panic in the audience. Watching a horror flick without the sound on loses some scary effects.
What makes the music and sound effects frighten people? If sounds are just waves of vibrations that travel through the air, why do we react with alarm? The Physiological Effects of Fear When we sense a dangerous situation, our evolutionary biology reacts to it as a survival tactic. It takes time to think, so when you are in harm’s way, it only takes seconds before you can react and get yourself to safety. In many cases, processing visual information takes longer. The brain reacts quicker when hearing sounds - offering an advantage in survival mode. When they become frightened, vertebrates, like humans, will react to harsh sounds and vocalizations that are out of the ordinary. An instant wave of anxiety or fear will overcome them. Why do nonlinear sounds feel alarming? The scream from an animal sounds like a grating, erratic noise that surpasses the abilities of the vocal cords. When hearing nonlinear sounds, humans may interpret noise as atypical and life-threatening. Nonlinear sounds, via artificial means (TV and movies), can recreate that same fear humans feel when they see or hear something frightening. Fear the Soundtrack Everyone remembers the infamous shower scene from Psycho. It’s terrifying. It’s a lot less scary to watch the scene with the sound muted. The high-pitched screaming and music animates the fear into you while viewing the movie from the couch. UCLA evolutionary biologist Daniel Blumstein conducted a study examining emotional reactions to two styles of music Test subjects were to listen to emotionally neutral music scores and scores that included nonlinear properties. Music with nonlinear elements brought out emotional responses and negative feelings in test subjects. This response is contingent upon human anatomy and physiology. Scary movies often use nonlinear, cacophonous sounds to get a rise out of audiences. If you are missing out on movie soundtracks of your favorite genre, contact Pure Sound Hearing for a complimentary hearing test and consultation. Comments are closed.
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