Monsters

As we have just finished reading Beowulf and excerpts from Grendel, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to talk about my love for monsters and learn the facts. I have always been fascinated with monsters from a young age; touring Lake Champlain in search of Champ with my mom and her long-time best friend, roaming the woods with friends as children in hopes of spotting Big Foot or some other woodland monster and watching old Sci-Fi flicks with my dad, featuring creatures such as mummies and slime-y things from lagoons. I think this is common for kids--to be intrigued with the spooky and scary. So why do we like to be scared? Where does this love stem from?

According to WebMD, people have long been fascinated with the "dark side." We like the idea of monsters because we don't understand it, and it's unique compared to our regular, everyday lives.  Glen Sparks has been studying how people react to frightening images for over twenty years, and he has found that people like to watch horror movies and be scared because they feel good that it's a different experience and they feel happy that the film is over and that they could watch the whole thing. The former president of the American Psychological Association, Farley, says that there are people that have "type T" personalities, which means they are thrill-seekers. Farley states, "Skydivers will tell you it's the thrill, the rush, and a little element of fear that motivates them to push themselves to the extreme." The body goes through unique physical sensations, such as sweaty palms, a racing heartbeat and an adrenaline rush, when scared and many will purposely put themselves in specific situations just so they can feel that.  A professor of psychology at Kansas State University states children like monsters because they are not real, and therefore can be used as an outlet for their emotions. He continues and mentions how teens enjoy horror movies because they often contain taboo subjects, and their attraction to it is like that of driving a car fast or smoking a cigarette.

We know now why people like to be scared, but why and how did they create myths and legends like Champ and the Loch  Ness Monster? If you're really that curious, head over to http://www.americanmonsters.com/site/# which gives thorough backgrounds for all infamous monsters!