Why are so many of us drawn to horror, gore, and true crime? Why do we crane our necks to see the scene of a crash on the highway? Psychologist Coltan Scrivner says that our natural morbid curiosity serves a purpose. We talk with Coltan about our fascination with tales of murder and mayhem, and what this tendency reveals about our minds.
In this episode, you'll learn:
*Why there's often a surge of interest in scary entertainment after a violent or tragic incident in the real world.
*The potential evolutionary roots of our curiosity about scary events or violent stories.
*What researchers have found about the impact of scary movies and books on the people who watch them.
*How horror content can be a vehicle for connecting with other people.
*What we know about the personality traits of people who are drawn to dark and sinister stories.
If you have a question or personal story related to today's episode that you'd be willing to share with the Hidden Brain audience, please record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us at ideas@hiddenbrain.org. Use the subject line "scary."
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Episode image by Riswan Ratta for Unsplash+
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