Why Jump Scares Make Us Laugh

Scientists offer insights on what makes a perfect prank.

Aarhus University researchers in Denmark have put up a theory that explains why jump scares frequently cause anxiety to transform into laughing. Under the direction of Marc Hye-Knudsen, the study looks at how humour allows individuals to chuckle after a panic by involving a perceived violation that is acknowledged as harmless.

Based on research on haunted houses and kid-friendly games like peekaboo, the findings point to a “sweet spot” where humour and horror coexist, providing guidance for pranksters trying to achieve the ideal ratio of fun to fear.

Also Read | Taliban Ban Afghan Women ‘From Hearing Each Other’: Report

“The problem with that theory is that we find all sorts of things funny that aren’t surprising, and there are lots of surprises that we don’t find funny,” Marc Hye-Knudsen, a PhD fellow and humour researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, who led the research, told The Guardian.

“Haunted house attractions and horror films both deliberately immerse audiences in their make-believe worlds to increase their general state of fear, which makes their startle responses to the jump scare bigger. But that startle also immediately pulls them out of that narrative world, so they can reappraise it as benign,” said Hye-Knudsen.

“Seeing a video of a complete stranger being the victim of a scare prank may not register as much of a violation because you’re not socially close to them, so online pranksters must spice up their pranks to get a bigger response,” Hye-Knudsen said. The research was published in Evolutionary Psychology.