One of the earliest psychological theories to explain people's enjoyment of horror movies is Dolf Zillmann's excitation transfer theory. The theory proposes that horror media stimulates elevated levels of physiological arousal because of the fear they induce; when the media concludes, that arousal then intensifies viewers' feelings of relief and enjoyment, leading to a euphoric high.Studies have backed up this theory, at least for male viewers. For example, one study found that the more distress male participants reported and the more arousal they experienced while watching a horror film, the greater their delight after finishing the film.
