Pittsburgh psychiatrist explains the psychology behind why we love being scared during Halloween

It's spooky season, or better put, scary season - just ask the people at Kennywood's Phantom Fall Fest or Hundred Acres Manor. 

For some people, the frightening is a magnet they cannot resist; for others, they run the other way. That begs the question: why do people react so differently? 

While no one goes into a haunted house thinking it's real, it does soften the jump, but the scaring is in the eye of the beholder. 

"When you get scared, it activates your fight-or-flight system," explained Allegheny Health Network adolescent psychiatry fellow Dr. Brienne Kilbert. 

Dr. Kilbert said we're not being chased by wild animals like our ancestors were, but we have movies and haunted houses. 

"If you like scary things, some people think that's strange, but in reality, I think it's natural," she said. "We seek those things out." 

Dr. Kilbert explained it as an excitement rush - whether it's the racing heart rate, shortness of breath, or the feeling in the pit of your stomach, it brings a certain type of adrenaline rush not found in everyday life. 

Now, it may be spooky season for the adults, but when it comes to the children, proceed with caution. 

"For very young kids, like preschool-aged kids, really young elementary school kids, scaring them can be tough because they don't have the best sense of what's real and what's not," Dr. Kilbert said. 

During this time of year, Dr. Kilbert said it's up to the parents to know if their child scares easily, but there are rarely long-term impacts of fright. 

"In the short term, certainly, they can become afraid of the dark," she said. "They have the bad dreams, they might not want to be left alone, and those are some warning signs for a parent to look for." 

Finally, keep in mind that to your child, the scary and spooky things in a yard are much bigger from their perspective, and they look very real. So, when you take them trick-or-treating, just keep a close eye and reassure them that what they're seeing isn't real.