Literally Blood-Curdling
December 17, 2015 1:33 PM   Subscribe

Dutch doctors have determined that yes, scary movies really are "blood-curdling".

Specifically, watching Insidious elevated levels of blood coagulant factor VIII, which assists in coagulating blood, both at the site of injuries and in venous thrombosis (internal blood clots). However, the researchers point out that other key factors in potentially thrombosis-type blood clots are not elevated after scary movies.

The paper points out, "A truly relaxing and merry Christmas, without exposure to frightening situations, seems to be advisable to prevent venous thrombosis."
posted by Etrigan (4 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Am I the only one thinking this study is sort of adorable? Like a bunch of 10 year olds had got together to think of a research plan. "Let's find out if scary films really are bloodcurdling!!" Their next one should be a taste test to find out if super lovely people actually taste sweet.
posted by sively at 2:07 PM on December 17, 2015 [8 favorites]


Their next one should be a taste test to find out if super lovely people actually taste sweet.

"Licking The Nice: A Lingual Qualitative Surface Analysis"
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:35 PM on December 17, 2015 [6 favorites]


Ig-Nobel in the (blood) bank.
posted by hawthorne at 6:36 AM on December 18, 2015


Oh cool. I love these studies that show physiological responses are connected to perception in remarkably sensible and sophisticated ways. Perception of a dangerous situation? The body turns up the level of a clotting factor as if it's preparing for potential injury. Or in another study, they found that looking at pictures of people sneezing literally puts the immune system on alert. The human body is smart.
posted by Wemmick at 8:32 AM on December 18, 2015


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