London - Are you afraid of the dark? It could actually be the night that’s giving you a fright, according to a study.
People are more scared when subjected to frightening noises and images at night than in the day – even if the room is light.
It is thought our bodies are more vigilant at night, making us jumpier, the study in the International Journal of Psychophysiology said.
The study tested 120 women in one of four conditions – light in daytime, dark in daytime, dark at night, light at night.
They were shown 100 scary images, such as an assault, and 50 neutral images, such as household items. They also heard 100 fear-inducing sounds and 50 neutral ones.
The researchers found there was no difference in responses to neutral images and sounds between day and night.
However, the fear-inducing images and sounds were more frightening at night than in the day. The researchers from China’s Southwest University said that, as night would have been more dangerous for our ancestors, we have evolved to process threats more efficiently at night-time.
Daily Mail