If for whatever reason you were thinking of watching a horror movie with a horse, maybe don’t do that.
According to The Guardian, a new study claims that horses are able to sense when humans are scared through smell.
As part of the study, the human participants watched scary movies such as Sinister while wearing cotton pads under their armpits, as well as happier scenes from movies such as Singin in the Rain. Those cotton pads would then be positioned over the nostrils of horses to see if they would react differently when presented with the sweat produced by human fear.
Researchers found that the horses presented with the post-horror movie cotton pads had higher peak heart rates and were more easily startled.
“This study shows how closely connected animals and humans are,” says Dr. Léa Lansade, of the University of Tours in France. “Unconsciously, we can transmit our emotions to animals, with quite important effects on their own emotions in return.”
Go ahead, trying asking a horse if they want to watch a horror movie. They’ll definitely say, “Neigh.”