Why Scary Movies and Social Events are Pretty Much the Exact Same Thing

If you're awkward like me, watching a scary movie and attending a social event like a party or church activity are almost identical experiences.

When do I get all jumpy? When do my hands shake? At scary movies. And at social events.

In either case, I spend most of the evening petrified. Halfway through I try to convince myself to leave. After all, I only came for the popcorn.

I can't leave, though. Some dreadful force keeps me in place, forcing me to watch the protagonist of the movie undergo psychological torture/be the protagonist of my own life and undergo the psychological torture of interaction with others.

Just the thought makes me break into a cold sweat.

Once I'm finally able to shatter the terrible spell and escape, I get this feeling of self-congratulations. Like, "Well, that was utterly terrifying. More terrifying than Little Sister. But I'm really proud of myself for sticking it out."

So I metaphorically pat myself on the back. Then I try to repress the memory of what I just survived. Usually, I succeed.

I succeed so well that not long after I voluntarily subject myself to another movie or go to another party. And then it starts all over again...