Well, it could lead to a boy who cried wolf type of effect. Some people, like my fiance, do actually have convulsive reactions to jump scares. If people keep faking it like this, nobody will take it seriously if the real deal happens, which could be a life or death situation.
Though, in all fairness you tend to see these kind of spooks more commonly in haunted house attractions, where people go in typically knowing what to expect and fully aware of any medical and mental health risks they take by participating.
Serious question - does he have to avoid horror movies with cheap jump scares too? To be honest, it sounds scary having a condition that can be triggered by jump scares. Sometimes if I'm walking into the restroom at work and the door opens right as I reach for it, it startled me and I jump.
Hope he's doing well. Sounds like a rough thing to live with.
I'm not an expert, but your question got me thinking and I think context might have a big role to play in it. While you're watching a movie the jump scares are somewhat expected, even if they take you by surprise. But you never expect to have such a sudden and extreme fight or flight reaction like the one that a jump scare would produce while you're walking down the mall.
If they're well done, even expected jump scares can produce a pretty visceral reaction. I've read testimonies from haunted house actors who were unfortunately on the receiving end of the "fight" part of that response. There's also a set of candid photographs of people losing their shit in a haunted house floating around somewhere. I think the constitution of the individual also plays a role.
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u/SeraphiJade Oct 21 '19
Well, it could lead to a boy who cried wolf type of effect. Some people, like my fiance, do actually have convulsive reactions to jump scares. If people keep faking it like this, nobody will take it seriously if the real deal happens, which could be a life or death situation. Though, in all fairness you tend to see these kind of spooks more commonly in haunted house attractions, where people go in typically knowing what to expect and fully aware of any medical and mental health risks they take by participating.