REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU HORROR FILMS WERE GOOD FOR YOU!
by Hazed
What did you do on Halloween? Did you watch a scary movie? If so, you may have lost weight. That’s if you believe the latest dubious research published in the tabloids...
Apparently, watching a 90-minute film generally burns up 113 calories - as much as a half hour walk - but a horror film that makes you jump in terror will increase your heart rate, and burn up a lot more. The Shining fared best, burning an average 184 calories. Jaws came second, with viewers burning an average 161 calories, and The Exorcist used up 158 calories.
This comes from scientists at the University of Westminster, who tested ten people as they watched a selection of classic horror films. They monitored their heart rate, oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output, to figure out how much energy they were using, and found that on average they used up a third more calories on the scary films than if they were sat in front of a blank screen.
Dr Richard Mackenzie, a metabolism specialist at the University of Westminster, said: ‘It is the release of fast-acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress, or in this case, fear, which is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories.’
So never mind heading to the gym or going for a walk, go to the movies instead. Just hold back on the supersized bucket of popcorn...
