Hidden Brain Murder Mystery
Dec 1, 2025
Coltan Scrivner, a psychologist and researcher from Arizona State University, explores the intriguing phenomenon of morbid curiosity. He discusses how our fascination with horror and true crime spikes after real-life tragedies. Coltan shares insights on the evolutionary roots of this curiosity and how scary stories serve as a tool for learning and resilience during tough times. He also reveals that horror fans often possess higher cognitive empathy, debunking stereotypes about their emotional depth. Get ready to dive into the psychology of fear!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Real Threats Drive Interest In Scary Media
- People often seek scary entertainment after nearby real violence as a way to learn about threats.
- Coltan Scrivner links this surge to morbid curiosity and predator inspection motives.
Consumers Prefer Vivid Threat Cues
- People chose the more violent version even when a tamer option existed, showing attraction to vivid threat cues.
- Market choices reveal strong curiosity for graphic depictions despite moral objections.
Mortal Kombat's Accidental Experiment
- The early-1990s Mortal Kombat release illustrated demand for gore when Sega kept blood red and outsold Nintendo's censored version.
- That real-market contrast acted like a natural experiment on violence preferences.
