While visiting various social networks, I noticed a number of sketches and meme pictures that jokingly describe the tendency to “watch documentaries about maniacs to relax.” I found this phenomenon interesting, and I want to share my thoughts on this account. Over the entire existence of psychology, certain authors mention that at first glance there are many contradictions in a person. For example, a client says that he does not like unnecessary attention, but dresses eccentrically and brightly. The client says that she does not tolerate greasy men, but works in a night bar... But if these contradictions can be summed up in a conscious justification (I dress like this because I like to be stylish, I work in a bar because I can’t find another job ). A situation like a person who is afraid of heights, but goes skydiving or bungee jumping, surprises us. So what is it? Trying to overcome fear? Maybe. But first, let’s determine what the difference is between phobia, fear, and anxiety. Normally, a feeling of fear arises at the moment a stimulus appears. Example: you are walking down the street and a man comes towards you with a large dog, who barks at you and bares his teeth. You see this and become afraid of the possibility of being attacked by an animal. As soon as the stimulus disappears, the feeling of fear goes away too. Anxiety is a long-term or episodic state similar to the feeling of fear, but without an adequate stimulus. Example: you are walking down the street and are worried that a dog might bite you. But there are no dogs in your field of vision. There is no stimulus. Phobia: the thought of dogs, their sight, mention, causes a feeling of panic or a feeling of loss of control over one’s emotions. Now imagine that a person suffering from cynophobia (fear of dogs) approaches every person he meets with a dog and asks to pet the pet. “I’m trying to curb my fear,” this is roughly the explanation we will hear if we ask what is happening in this situation. And this behavior is called counterphobic - “this is the desire to confront a situation that causes fear, the goal of which is to gain the opportunity to receive certain, usually acute, experiences without experiencing a feeling of fear.” That is, interaction with non-aggressive, in this case, dogs reduces the intensity of the phobia of dogs in general. We sorted this out, but what about films? Watching horror films in a sense has a similar mechanism. An increased level of anxiety can feel like an overwhelming feeling, and the desire to watch a horror movie or documentary about murders suggests that in this way you are creating conditional control over an object that really frightens you. That is, a documentary about a maniac rationalizes the subject of anxiety - a dangerous male object, it becomes understandable and accessible for the duration of viewing - and anxiety decreases for a while. That is, it’s like “looking fear in the eyes and remaining unharmed.” But why exactly? Anxiety finds a variety of ways to manifest itself. Triggers, forms of manifestation of one feeling can vary enormously among people. Therefore, some will resort to trying to safely “face” danger with the help of a film, while others will avoid as much as possible anything that in any way relates to the trigger topic.