The Fear F8ctor Study - Does Fear Induce a Blood Curdling State?

For centuries the term "blood curling" has been used to describe extreme frightening situations. However, the origin of this ancient theory has never been studied and it remains unknown if fear induces the coagulation system.The objective was to explore the effects of acute fear on the coagulation system while sitting still. In a crossover study design healthy subjects will be exposed to a horrifying e.g. scary movie followed by a dull e.g. flat movie which is shown at least 1 week after the first movie on the same day of the week at the same time of the day. Participants will be recruited among students from the Leiden University Medical Center. Blood will be drawn from the cubital vein 10 minutes before the first movie, directly after the first movie. The same will be done 10 minutes before and directly after the second movie. Blood is drawn by using a needle puncture. Individual markers of coagulation activity will be determined from the blood samples. Pulse rates will be measured and an anxiety/fear score will be collected from each student for both movies.