Horror Fandom and Resilience in Lebanon: When Real Danger Undermines Fiction's Protective Role

October 19, 2026 - 23:00

When danger is real and constant, fictional frights may lose their protective edge. Among Lebanese students facing war and economic crisis, horror fandom was unrelated to resilience.

A study conducted in Lebanon examined whether a taste for horror films and stories helps people cope better during genuine crises. The idea has circulated for years that consuming frightening fiction might function like a psychological rehearsal, letting people practice managing fear in a safe setting and perhaps building toughness they can draw on when real threats appear. The Lebanese context offered an unusually direct test of that claim, since students there have lived through armed conflict, economic collapse and the daily uncertainty that comes with both.

Researchers surveyed university students about their engagement with horror media and measured their resilience, meaning their capacity to adapt and keep functioning under stress. The results showed no meaningful connection between the two. Students who loved horror were neither more nor less resilient than those who avoided it. The finding suggests that the protective effect sometimes attributed to horror may depend on the threat being distant or imagined. When danger is woven into everyday life, a fictional scare may simply not register as practice for anything.

The study adds a caution to broader claims about media and coping. Horror can be entertaining, meaningful or cathartic, but its psychological benefits should not be assumed to transfer automatically to people living through actual violence. For those facing sustained hardship, resilience likely comes from social support, material stability and practical resources rather than from the films they watch.