Why we’re obsessed with crime
ONCE a taboo topic, we’ve become a nation of armchair experts when it comes to gruesome crimes and mysterious disappearances.
Chances are you or someone you know is now seriously into a true crime podcast, binge watching a Netflix crime series or devouring a best-selling true crime book right now.
There’s something, it seems, so intensely intriguing about true crime and if you’re obsessed by finding out what happened to Lyn Dawson, the story of little William Tyrell or who killed JonBenet Ramsay, you’re definitely not alone (nor are you a psychopath - thankfully).
True crime stories are more popular than ever and it seems podcasts are the latest way we’re satiating our fascination with murder and mayhem with four of Apple’s current top six podcasts fitting into the true crime genre.
“People get a precarious pleasure out of something we know we can explore because it’s personally very safe,” explained psychologist Meredith Fuller.
“When you’re watching or listening to true crime it gives you an opportunity to look at the other side of life, the dark side, but you’re safe in your living room.”
This glimpse into the seedier side of life is only part of the reason we’re drawn to these stories though.
We also want to understand the motivation behind such gruesome, bizarre, senseless acts of violence - we want to understand because we are afraid.
Some experts even go so far as suggesting that our fascination with podcats such as Serial, Unravel or My Favourite Murder stems from a basic instinct to protect ourselves.
“By learning about murders — who is more likely to be a murderer, how do these crimes happen, who are the victims, etc. — people are also learning about ways to prevent becoming a victim themselves,” said psychology professor Amanda Vicary.
This internal motivation is especially true for women. A 2010 study from the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal – co-authored by Vicary – found women are more likely to seek out true crime stories than men.
One of the dangers, Fuller warned, of our current true crime obsession though is that over-exposure can end up skewing our moral sense and can also lead to increased anxiety and even nightmares in
some personality types.
“I’m always about moderation,” she said.
“Ask yourself what purpose it serves and ask yourself if you’re still happy to look at other genres. If you’re not, you might think, hang on a minute, something is going on.”