CARROLL COUNTY, GA — There’s a reason many of us enjoy a scary movie or haunted attractions for Halloween.

A University of West Georgia psychology professor says this kind of ‘fun fear’ is sometimes irresistible.

It activates our ancient ‘fight or flight’ response, but it does so in a safe way, according to UWG psychology professor Dr. Christine Simmonds-Moore.

“We like mystery and we like to be frightened, Dr. Simmonds-Moore insists.

Research shows dreaming about running away is our brain teaching us how to deal with these scenarios in real-life.

She says kids need to be able to separate pretend from reality before they’re exposed to too much scary stuff.

But for adults, she says this type of fear can be fun because we know how the story ends.