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Feb 20, 2023 · Many murder mystery shows follow a tried and true narrative formula, which provides a reassuring sense of conflict and resolution for the viewer (and are part of why murder mysteries have...
Apr 6, 2018 · For this reason, she explains, watching true crime shows — particularly those with plots that involve tragedy, and solutions to the tragedy, all within a limited amount of time — can help you...
- Annakeara Stinson
- Because Being Obsessed with True Crime Is Normal (To A Point).
- Because Evil Fascinates Us ...
- And We Want to Know What Makes Killers Kill.
- Because of The 24/7 News Cycle ...
- … and Because We Can’T Look Away from A “Trainwreck.”
- Because It Helps Us Feel Prepared.
- Because There Might Be An Evolutionary Benefit.
- Because We’Re Glad We’Re Not The victim.
- Because We’Re Glad We’Re Not The perpetrator.
- Because It Gives Us An Adrenaline Rush.
First things first: There’s nothing weird about being true crime obsessed. “It says that we're normal and we’re healthy,” Dr. Michael Mantell, former chief psychologist of the San Diego Police Department, told NPR in 2009. “I think our interest in crime serves a number of different healthy psychological purposes.” Of course, there are limits: “If a...
The true crime genre gives people a glimpse into the minds of people who have committed what forensic psychologist Dr. Paul G. Mattiuzzi calls “a most fundamental taboo and also, perhaps, a most fundamental human impulse”—murder. “In every case,” he writes, “there is an assessment to be made about the enormity of evil involved.” This fascination wi...
We want to figure out what drove these people to this extreme act, and what makes them tick, because we’d never actually commit murder. “We want some insight into the psychology of a killer, partly so we can learn how to protect our families and ourselves,” author Caitlin Rother toldHopes & Fears, “but also because we are simply fascinated by aberr...
Even if we’ve been fascinated by crime since the beginning of time, we likely have the media to thank for the uptick in the true crime fad. “Since the ‘50s, we have been bombarded … in the media with accounts of crime stories, and it probably came to real fruition in the ‘70s,” Mantell said. “Our fascination with crime is equaled by our fear of cri...
“Serial killers tantalize people much like traffic accidents, train wrecks, or natural disasters,” Scott Bonn, professor of criminology at Drew University and author of Why We Love Serial Killers, wrote at TIME. “The public’s fascination with them can be seen as a specific manifestation of its more general fixation on violence and calamity. In othe...
According to Megan Boorsma in Elon Law Review [PDF], studies of true crime have shown that people tend to focus on threats to their own wellbeing. Others have noted that women in particular seem to love true crime, and psychologists believe it’s because they’re getting tips about how to increase their chances of survival if they find themselves in ...
Dr. Marissa Harrison, associate professorof psychology at Penn State Harrisburg, told Hopes & Fears that she believes people are interested in true crime because we’ve evolved to pay attention to things that could harm us so that we can better avoid them. “You would pay attention to, and have interest in, the horrific, because in the ancestral envi...
Psychologists say one of the main reasons we’re obsessed with true crime is because it gives us an opportunity to feel relieved that we’re not the victim. Tamron Hall, host of ID's Deadline: Crime, identified that sense of reprieve at ID's IDCon in 2017. “I think all of you guys watch our shows and say, ‘But for the grace of God, this could happen ...
On the other hand, watching true crime also provides an opportunity to feel empathy, Mantell said: “It allows us to feel our compassion, not only a compassion for the victim, but sometimes compassions for the perpetrator.” "We all get angry at people, and many people say ‘I could kill them’ but almost no one does that, thankfully,” Packer said. “Bu...
“People ... receive a jolt of adrenaline as a reward for witnessing terrible deeds,” Bonn writes. “If you doubt the addictive power of adrenaline, think of the thrill-seeking child who will ride a roller coaster over and over until he or she becomes physically ill. The euphoric effect of true crime on human emotions is similar to that of roller coa...
Jul 9, 2021 · Why crime shows are so addicting. People who don’t have any interest in true-crime stories might think you’re a creep for enjoying them — but rest assured that your love of the macabre doesn’t indicate a tendency toward criminal behavior. Instead, Dr. Childs says, it’s as simple as curiosity.
- We love a good adrenaline rush. Crime shows let us get a hearty adrenaline rush in the comfort of our own home. Adrenaline is something that we seek out on a daily basis, whether it be through playing a sport, climbing a mountain, or seeking out a crime thriller.
- Our mind and imagination are engaged. Crime entertainment is like working a puzzle that also gives you a rush of excitement every time you put the last piece in.
- We are wired to enjoy true crime. Or rather, true crime is wired for us to enjoy. Evolution has sharpened humans’ survival instincts to the point where it feels natural and sometimes enjoyable to, well, survive.
- We are fascinated by our own "dark side." As functional, non-violent members of society, we are appalled by the thought of committing the terrible acts that murderers, rapists, and criminals are known for.
Explore the psychological reasons behind our fascination with true crime and its impact on our minds in this intriguing article from BBC Science Focus Magazine.
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Apr 16, 2024 · 1) Curiosity. The first key characteristic of those who love true-crime documentaries is intense curiosity. The kind of person who can watch an in-depth documentary on a serial killer or a multi-part documentary about a cold case is extremely curious. They want to know more and are deeply drawn to content that has an element of mystery.
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