Why scary movies work.

We all know that for the longest time guys have been taking girls to scary movies to 1)get a little closer to their date or even have her clutching you for protection or 2)looking very masculine while not being scared. These are good enough reasons for me and I admit that I have tried these out myself. However, consumer behavior theory gives us an even more powerful reason.

Zillmann's Theory of Emotion

Emotion consists of two forms of arousal, and don't think of arousal in a sexual way. Physical arousal is an actual physiological response such as increased heart rate, sweaty palms, etc. Think about how you felt the first time you kissed a member of the opposite sex, that is the physiological response I'm talking about. You basically feel like you are on cloud 9. The second form of arousal is perceived arousal. This is how aroused a person thinks they are. Now the really important point. A person's perceived arousal decreases much faster than the physiological response. This presents a window where the person is experiencing an actual physiological response but doesn't perceive it.

Capitalizing On Your Knowledge

So basically, taking a girl to a scary movie is using this window of opportunity. The movie gets her to experience a physiological response which she thinks goes away really quickly. However, you, as the guy, are there and she starts to think about you and then she again perceived her physiological arousal. This is now attributed to you, the guy, so she thinks that you make her feel that way (aka she's diggin' you). So thank Mr. Zillmann for your newly acquired knowledge and go out there and getcha some.