Have you guys been going to the movies lately? I’m not a big fan of horror movies. So, every time I check the showtimes thinking, “Maybe I’ll go see something this weekend,” I end up thinking, “It’s all horror movies, there’s nothing I want to see.”
It wasn’t just my imagination. Upon further investigation, I found that in the United States, over the past few years, both the number of horror movies and their share of box office revenue have been steadily increasing. The reason is simple: they’re profitable. According to statistical analysis, horror movies have the highest profit margin of any genre, and more than half of all horror movies released in theaters recoup their production costs and turn a profit. In contrast, only about one-third of drama films turn a profit. For studios, producing several horror films costing a few million dollars each is a far safer investment than betting on a $200 million superhero blockbuster.
So, who is watching these popular horror movies? As of 2024, more than 90% of Gen Z watch horror movies or TV shows, representing the highest percentage among all generations. They also pair perfectly with social media: shocking scenes are easily shared, and word of mouth acts as free advertising. The horror movie boom is inextricably linked to Gen Z’s consumer behavior.
However, behind the fact that “Gen Z loves horror”, lies a deeper and more precarious structure.
“Doomscrolling”: A Quiet Addiction
Have you ever heard of the term “doomscrolling”? In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a name was given to the act of endlessly scrolling through grim news, such as “XX people infected” or “XX people died”, even while knowing you couldn’t stop. It refers to the behavior of endlessly browsing anxiety-inducing news, viral controversies, and breaking reports on disasters and incidents on the internet and social media. That is doomscrolling.
The statistics highlight the severity of the situation for Gen Z. In a 2024 survey, approximately 51% of Gen Z respondents reported engaging in doomscrolling on a regular basis. This figure far exceeds the 46% among Millennials and the 31% among U.S. adults overall. Even more surprising is that 54% of Gen Z members who experience anxiety admit to doomscrolling and excessive social media use as a “coping mechanism” for their anxiety.
To alleviate anxiety, Gen Z consumes content that actually amplifies it. While this may seem contradictory, it has to do with how the brain works.
The Mechanism Behind Brain Degeneration: The “Desensitization” Loop
Frequent use of social media alters the brain’s dopamine pathways. According to researchers, these changes follow a pattern similar to that seen in drug addiction. Activity in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala changes, leading to increased emotional sensitivity while decision-making abilities decline. Addiction scientists refer to this process as “desensitization.”
Once the brain becomes accustomed to high levels of dopamine, it falls into a “dopamine deficiency” state in order to maintain homeostasis. As a result, people can no longer derive pleasure from the small joys of daily life—such as conversations with friends, taking a walk, or cooking. To achieve the same “high,” they begin to seek out more extreme, more violent, and more shocking content.
This brings us back to the point I made at the beginning. A brain that is no longer satisfied with conventional forms of entertainment is drawn to horror movies in search of stronger fear, shock, and stimulation. A review of psychological research has also shown that people who enjoy horror tend to have “lower empathy and less fear, and a stronger tendency to seek stimulation.” The popularity of horror movies among Gen Z may not be a matter of “preference,” but rather a matter of “the state of the brain.”
From the screen to the real world
And Gen Z’s pursuit of thrills didn’t stop at the screen. Have you heard of the “Door Kick Challenge”? It’s an extreme version of the old “ring-and-run” prank. Participants bang on the front door of a randomly selected house with enough force to break it down, then run away before the resident comes out. They film the entire thing on their smartphones and post it on social media. All to rack up “likes” and gain followers. With the “ring and run,” it was just harmless pranking by elementary school kids. But the “Door Kick Challenge” has already claimed lives and is a criminal act of vandalism. Authorities and experts are issuing strong warnings.
An even more extreme form of this phenomenon is the “Teen Takeover.” Hundreds to thousands of teenagers, organized via social media, gather in public places such as shopping malls, parks, and beaches. Incidents have been reported across the United States where these gatherings have escalated into chaos, violence, vandalism, and, in some cases, even murder.
Marc Berkman, president of the Social Media Safety Agency (OSAS), offers the following analysis: “Platforms like TikTok are ‘conditioning’ teenagers to engage in extreme behavior. Violent and sexual videos, in particular, tend to attract attention, and by watching stimulating content for more than five hours a day, users begin to perceive violence and cruelty as ‘normal.’”
Doomscrolling → Desensitization → Horror Movies → Door-Kicking Challenge → Teen Takeover. They’re all connected by a single thread.
“The Era of Active Learning” and “The Era of Passive Consumption”
Let’s take a step back and consider the bigger picture. Gen Z is the first generation to have been born into a world where the internet already existed and to have grown up in an environment where smartphones were a part of their lives from an early age. They have lived in a “storm of information” since the day they were born.
Think back to the days before the Internet. If you wanted to know something, you’d go to the library, look for a book, flip through the pages, and actively seek out the information you needed. It took some effort. But because of that, you were less likely to unexpectedly come across fear or malice that you didn’t need to know about.
With the advent of the internet and smartphones, the flow of information has been reversed. Now, algorithms unilaterally push information at us in order to capture our attention, that is, to generate advertising revenue. Moreover, tech companies are well aware that the human brain has a “negativity bias”, it’s an tendency to react more strongly to negative information. That is why the system is designed to prioritize the delivery of content that evokes fear, anger, and shock.
Society has shifted from being “active and participatory” to “passive and consumer-oriented.” Generation Z is the first generation to have known only this passive environment, They are the first generation that has never experienced actively seeking out information.
This isn’t just a problem for Gen Z
There’s something I’d like you to keep in mind. It’s not just Gen Z who are living in this algorithm-driven, information-overloaded world. People of all generations are in the same situation. It’s certainly not just Gen Z who are engaged in doomscrolling. In fact, my 82-year-old mother-in-law opens her smartphone every morning and, before she knows it, spends anywhere from tens of minutes to several hours scrolling through junk news stories. Then she looks up from her screen and sighs, “What a world we live in.”
Research has also shown that continued doomscrolling intensifies existential anxiety, pessimism, and a bleak outlook on one’s own life and future, leading to a sense of despair regarding life’s purpose and meaning.
Both teenagers and my 82-year-old mother-in-law are being fed fear as “bait” in the same way by the same algorithm. The only difference is that Gen Z has never known anything other than this environment.
Can we change?
Let’s start with what we can do right now. Turn off notifications for news and social media apps. Consciously shift your feed’s algorithm away from content that stirs up fear, anger, and anxiety, and toward content that brings satisfaction, hope, and laughter. It’s a small step, but it’s the first step toward changing the “fuel” you feed your brain.
Finally, I’d like to share the famous fable of “The Two Wolves.” One day, a grandfather taught his grandson about life. “Inside each of our hearts, there are two wolves. One is filled with fear, anger, and despair. The other is filled with hope, peace, and love. These two wolves are always fighting.” The grandson asked, “Grandpa, which one wins?” The grandfather replied quietly. “The one you feed.”
So, which wolf will you feed today?
Reference:
Your Body, Your Health, Your Life 