Murder Mystery
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this fascinating Hidden Brain episode, psychologist Coltan Scrivner explores why humans are magnetically drawn to horror films, true crime podcasts, and violent entertainment despite claiming to value kindness and morality. The episode examines the psychological phenomenon of "morbid curiosity" - our natural inclination to seek information about dangerous or threatening situations. (03:54) Scrivner reveals compelling research showing that after real-world traumatic events, people actually increase their consumption of scary entertainment, challenging conventional wisdom about what we should watch during difficult times.
- Main theme: Understanding why humans are evolutionarily wired to be curious about threats and how this "predator inspection" behavior manifests in our modern entertainment choices, potentially serving beneficial psychological functions.
Speakers
Shankar Vedantam
Host of Hidden Brain, NPR's award-winning podcast exploring the psychology behind human behavior. Vedantam is a science correspondent and author who specializes in making complex psychological research accessible to general audiences.
Coltan Scrivner
Psychologist and researcher at Arizona State University and Aarhus University in Denmark. He is the author of "Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away" and specializes in studying horror entertainment consumption and its psychological effects on audiences.
Key Takeaways
Morbid Curiosity is Evolutionarily Adaptive
Our fascination with dangerous content isn't pathological but serves an important survival function. (16:58) Just like Darwin's monkeys who couldn't resist peering at the snake despite their fear, humans are wired to gather information about threats. This "predator inspection" behavior helps us learn about dangers without experiencing them directly. Horror movies and true crime serve as safe simulations that allow us to understand threatening situations while maintaining complete control over our exposure to the fear.
Horror Entertainment Builds Psychological Resilience
Research conducted during the early months of COVID-19 revealed that horror fans were significantly more resilient to pandemic stress. (26:00) Even when controlling for personality factors, age, income, and other variables, people who regularly consumed horror content experienced less anxiety, depression, and insomnia. They maintained greater optimism about their ability to persevere through difficult times, suggesting that exposure to fictional threats may prepare us psychologically for real-world challenges.
Scary Content Can Interrupt Anxiety Cycles
Horror entertainment functions as a psychological "circuit breaker" for generalized anxiety. (30:16) When people experience vague, undefined anxiety, their minds get stuck in vigilance cycles searching for threats that don't exist. Watching a scary movie gives the anxious mind a specific, controllable threat to focus on, breaking the rumination cycle. After 90 minutes, when the movie ends and the threat disappears, the parasympathetic nervous system activates to physiologically calm the viewer down.
Horror Fans Are More Empathetic Than Expected
Contrary to critics' assumptions, research shows horror fans score equal to or higher than non-fans on empathy measures. (43:53) Horror movies require viewers to empathize with protagonists to generate fear - if you don't care about the characters, you won't be scared. Evidence from haunted house "pleaders" (actors portraying victims) shows that horror fans consistently stop to help perceived victims, demonstrating their empathetic responses even in obviously fictional scenarios.
Scary Entertainment Facilitates Social Bonding
Horror content serves as a unique vehicle for relationship building and partner assessment. (34:06) Haunted attractions peak during Halloween and Valentine's Day, indicating their role in romantic bonding. Sharing scary experiences allows people to observe how potential partners respond under stress - do they act protectively, cooperatively, or do they abandon others when threatened? These "fear simulations" provide valuable information about character and trustworthiness in a low-stakes environment.
Statistics & Facts
- In 2020, the 2011 movie "Contagion" surged from averaging 6 out of 100 on Google Trends popularity index in 2019 to hitting 100 (peak interest) by March 2020 during pandemic lockdowns. (10:57)
- When Mortal Kombat was released in two versions - a family-friendly Nintendo version with gray "sweat" instead of blood, and an uncensored Sega version with full gore - the violent Sega version outsold the tamer Nintendo version by several factors despite Nintendo having 5 times more household penetration. (08:34)
- True crime podcasts have consistently ranked in the top 5-10 most popular podcast genres since podcasting became mainstream. (13:01)
