This Halloween, you may want to take advantage of the horror movie marathons that are sure to be shown on cable, as according to a study posted on The Telegraph, giving yourself a bit of a scare may actually help you burn over 180 calories.
Researchers from the University of Westminster found that 90 minutes of undiluted terror can make you shed the entire calorie content of that chocolate bar you ate a couple of hours before popping in the DVD.
Recording the heart rate and carbon dioxide output of ten different people who were made to see a selection of horror movies, they observed that a spike in pulse resulted in calories being burned three times faster than when participants saw a regular movie.
"Each of the ten films tested set pulses racing, sparking an increase in the heart rate of the case studies. As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline. It is this release of fast acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower the appetite, increase the Basal Metabolic Rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories," senior lecturer and cell metabolism and physiology specialist Dr. Richard Mackenzie explains.
Just make sure that your heart can handle the scare--and don’t forget the butter-free popcorn.
(Screencap from Scream 4 courtesy of Dimension Films)
