5 Things People Who Are Obsessed With Halloween Are Doing Right In Life That Everyone Else Usually Overlooks
There's no reason to shame people who love Halloween.
Studio Romantic | Shutterstock You may have noticed a bit of crispness in the air, leaves crunching on the ground, and pumpkins adorning front porches. Fall is officially upon us, and with it comes the annual celebration of Halloween. Halloween is a holiday with a complicated history and reputation. Some people can’t stand the idea of dressing up in costume, eating candy, and watching scary movies. For others, they could think of no better way to spend their time.
Halloween is primarily known as a children’s holiday, as that’s who usually do the trick-or-treating, so adults who love the holiday are sometimes looked down upon. It’s a bit similar to the concept of Disney adults. Some people think adults who love Halloween are engaging in immature activities and stealing the holiday away from children. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, though. People who love Halloween are actually reaping multiple benefits from the holiday that other people just don’t get.
Here are 5 things people who are obsessed with Halloween are doing right in life:
1. They use low-stakes fear to prepare for future scariness
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Normally, fear is not a fun thing. No one wants to be worried about their safety, concerned for the well-being of loved ones, or think the future has nothing good to bring. And yet, around Halloween, watching scary movies in which fictional characters are in danger is something we do for entertainment. We decorate our houses with sinister jack-o-lanterns and ghosts, and we see people dressed up as witches and other monsters.
The thing about this kind of fear is that it’s not really scary. We rationally know that monsters aren’t real, so this kind of fear is actually fun. And the great thing about it is that it actually prepares you to face things that are seriously psychologically bothersome. Per Inc., Penn State psychology professor Sarah Kollat explained, “Researchers at Aarhus University’s Recreational Fear Lab in Denmark demonstrated in one study that people who regularly consumed horror media were more psychologically resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic than non-horror fans.”
Kollat went on to say, “The scientists suggest that this resilience might be a result of a kind of training these fans went through — they practiced coping with the fear and anxiety provoked by their preferred form of entertainment.” So, for people who are obsessed with Halloween, the fun fear they experience actually builds up their resilience and prepares them to face things that are truly frightening.
2. They confront death in a way that makes it palatable
As American cultural historian Lawrence R. Samuel, Ph.D., noted, death is a “subject [that] was largely taboo in Western societies.” We all know that it happens, but we don’t just sit around talking about it. No one really wants to confront the reality of their own mortality. Halloween gives people an enjoyable opportunity to do so. The holiday is all about death and gore, and, of course, has close ties to Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, as UC-Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine editor Jeremy Adam Smith said.
In his book “Death Anxiety and Clinical Practice,” Robert Langs called death “a ubiquitous but elusive dread.” He added, “The existential mix of human existence couples the celebration of life with the awesome awareness of the eventuality of death.” Halloween lovers are well aware that death is just a part of the journey of life, and many of them are likely more comfortable with that fact than miserable people who avoid Halloween altogether. By celebrating a holiday that is so closely linked to death, people who are obsessed with Halloween confront death while still feeling safely and comfortably distant from it.
3. They use their imaginations
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Most holidays add a bit of whimsy to day-to-day life, but Halloween might do so more than most. If you really go all out with your celebrations and dress up, you’re letting your imagination run wild in the best way. For one day (or one evening, most workplaces don’t encourage costume-wearing), you can be whoever you want to be. Maybe there’s a fictional character you’ve always identified with, or you just have this image in your mind of the perfect costume. You get to live that out in real life.
Associate professor emeritus Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., pointed out that imaginative thinking can help us because it allows us to create some distance from our problems, which lets us see them in a new way. Marjorie Taylor, a psychologist at the University of Oregon, also said that using your imagination lets you prepare for the future, kind of like low-stakes fear. She said, “Like adults who think things through before they act, this gives children an opportunity to play it through before they encounter the situation in real life. If something is bothering you, you can control it or manipulate it in the world of pretending. That’s a way of developing emotional mastery.”
4. They share a sense of community
People who are obsessed with Halloween often form a strong sense of community with their fellow Halloween enthusiasts. Not only do they all share something that binds them together, but Halloween is also a communal holiday. Smith shared, “If you have kids, trick-or-treating is a great way to get to know the neighbors. Even if you don’t have kids, putting a goblin out on the lawn and sitting on your stoop with a bucket of candy might enhance your block-level social capital.”
Of course, a sense of community is majorly beneficial for your health. In a study published in the journal SSM — Population Health, researchers concluded, “Community belonging is increasingly being recognized as an important determinant of health, and hence is an important metric to monitor and understand for population health.” Anyone who’s able to hang out with a group of friends on Halloween or even just be with people in their neighborhood is receiving the advantages of being in a community.
5. They eat lots of candy
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While this point might sound like a joke, it’s actually true that eating candy has its benefits. Dark chocolate, in particular, carries many health advantages as it contains antioxidants, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Dark chocolate can make your heart healthier, boost your immune system, and reduce the amount of cortisol in your body, which is known as the “stress hormone.” Candy should, of course, be enjoyed in moderation, but it may just be good for you from time to time.
While Halloween may seem like a kids’ holiday, there are plenty of reasons for adults to enjoy the day as well. People who are obsessed with Halloween are doing life right and boosting their health and happiness. It’s something miserable people just can’t understand, but they may want to try it sometime. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying something a lot, and they might learn something from Halloween lovers.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
