It turns out that a 90-minute horror movie can be an acceptable substitute for a half-hour walk’s worth of exercise. The Telegraph reports that a study by the University of Westminster has found that watching scary films burns calories at a much higher rate than sedentariness. Scientists hooked people up to their science doodads and measured the so-and-so levels of different people as they watched several different flicks.
Says Dr. Richard Mackenzie: “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.”
These horror films were the top ten workouts of those used in the study:
1. The Shining: 184 calories
2. Jaws: 161 calories
3. The Exorcist: 158 calories
4. Alien: 152 calories
5. Saw: 133 calories
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street: 118 calories
7. Paranormal Activity: 111 calories
8. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories
10. [Rec]: 101 calories
Somehow, I don’t think this means you can just marathon the Halloween series and call it a weight-loss regimen, but this is certainly interesting.