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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Feb. 15 (UPI) People who deny they're scared
may be trying to fool themselves and not just others, a new study
indicates.
Some people will say they're not frightened, and maybe even believe
it themselves, even when physical measures show they're lying, says Dr.
Glenn Sparks of Purdue University.
In fact, people who report the lowest levels of fear may well be the
most frightened, Sparks says.
He bases his conclusions on a study to be published soon in the
journal Communications Research. It involved 59 college students who
were shown segments of the suspense movie, "When a Stranger Calls."
Their physical arousal was recorded at specific intervals by body
sensors monitored by a computer. Students afterward were asked to rate
their fear on a scale of zero to nine.
The study revealed that people who tried to repress their emotions
were likely to rate their level of fear during the film as low, when
indeed, the physical measures for them were two to three times greater
than students who didn't mind showing, or admitting, their fright.
"It could be that because they successfully repress emotions, these
persons are not aware of their true reactions," Sparks says. "It's
also possible that repressors are aware of their negative emotional
reactions but simply choose to deny them to others."
Sparks tells United Press International that some people he calls "repressive copers" tend to report that they are not scared, even when
they are, as a coping mechanism. "It may be that these people are aware of their fear, but for a
variety of reasons they don't want to report it," he says. "They may
believe that to admit their fear is not socially desirable. Second, it
may be that these people are simply less aware of their fear because
they have repressed it."
In effect, they have pushed the fear out of consciousness, but their
physiological responses still show that they were frightened.
In the study, as many females as males denied their fear, though the
computer monitor knew the truth.
In general, men are more likely to report low levels of fear, Sparks
says, because males "for thousands of years have been socialized to
master threatening stimuli and to show bravery in the face of danger."
Conceding fear is much more acceptable for females, he adds.
In today's society, though gender lines have blurred, "the scary
film may be one of the last vestiges of this tribal rite," Sparks
speculates. "That is, males are able to witness these films and show
their mastery and bravery in confronting the images. They leave these
films reporting high levels of enjoyment and bragging about their
ability to withstand the most gruesome parts. Females have few urges to
engage in this behavior."
Some children also may be "repressive copers," but they'd be better
off admitting their fears, Sparks says. Many "under-report their fear
as a way of coping with the level of fright they are experiencing."
Kids watch scary movies for many reasons, including arousal, which
makes emotions seem more intense, Sparks says. "When the movie ends, there is a profound sense of relief and even
joy at the fact that the danger is over and, often, the protagonist has
emerged victorious," he tells UPI. "This relief or joy is intensified
over normal levels because of the arousal still in the body from fear.
So, kids come away from these films feeling a more intense positive
emotion than they would at films that don't create this arousal."
Sparks says the study sends the message that it's not a good idea for
adults to allow young children to watch scary and violent movies because
they can increase aggressive behavior, fears and anxieties.
"Today's media entertainment is extremely realistic and explicit,"
Sparks says. "Even adults suffer long-term lingering anxieties after
exposure to some of the images. Parents should exercise due caution."
(Written by Mushie Bolgla)
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