Why some people enjoy being scared on Halloween

It's the time of year for ghost stories, haunted houses, and scary costumes.

For many people, it's their favorite season. They actually enjoy being scared at Halloween and scientists say that can be helpful in handling fear - it's a very complicated emotion.

"It's purpose is to tell us what's dangerous or not, so we can avoid it," said Dr. Sarah Allen, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "At Halloween, we're really looking for good fear - something that makes us feel something, but a situation we feel in control of at the same time."

Dr. Alen says even for adults, good fright teaches us the difference between real dangers and non-threatening situations.

And that prepares us to handle fear when we're not in control.

Dr. Allen says when children are frightened, parents should re-assure them they're safe - even if the cause of their scare seems small to us.

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