In modern times, we are obsessed with true crime. There are hundreds and thousands of books, blogs, podcasts, and vlogs on the subject. There are also hundreds of true crime documentaries as well as fictional accounts. We seem to be an ever-increasing audience hungry for anything true crime-related.
It was a fictional film portrayal of an FBI profiler that first sparked my interest in the field. After watching the silence of the lambs, I was enthralled with profilers and the FBI. I am not alone in this interest; I am a part of many online communities that have the same interests as me. There seems to be an ever-increasing audience for true crime output of all kinds. There are also ever-increasing numbers of content makers who are willing to fuel this interest, myself included.
Around half of my friends do not want to know about real-life cases, and the other half wants every last little detail. It is normal to a point to have an interest in true crime. There are many possible explanations for our interest in true crime.
Could it be that the fight between good versus evil fascinate us?
Have you ever driven past a particularly nasty accident and felt compelled to look even though we know it will be shocking to see? We know that the contents and details of these true crime events are not going to be pleasant, but we are drawn wanting to know the details. There could be several psychological mechanisms behind this. Several other blogs have also explored this. For example, the blog on shhhinsidevoice.com notes that it is an inherent need to understand the struggle between good and evil. (https://shhhinsidevoice.com/?p=1794)
Could our interest be fuelled by a need to keep ourselves safe?
Most people in our communities would never commit crimes such as murder. We have evolved from being in small tribes into much larger communities and societies. It benefits us to be able to trust each other within these communities and societies. Therefore, when someone commits a horrific crime, we are concerned for our safety.
Investigative journalist Caitlin Rother told Hopes and Fears “I think people wonder what motivates another person to commit such horrible acts against another, often a “loved one,” because we can’t fathom doing such things ourselves. We want some insight into the psychology of a killer, partly so we can learn how to protect our families and ourselves, but also because we are simply fascinated by aberrant behaviour and the many paths that twisted perceptions can take. It’s like not being able to stop watching a traffic collision that you know is about to happen. It grips your attention and you can’t look away. http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/now/question/216997-why-are-people-obsessed-with-true-crime
Are we just armchair detectives?
With the vast amount of coverage there is on crime, especially serial killings and murder, we see and hear inputs from lots of leading ‘experts’ in the case. Many of these cases raise more questions than they answer. These cases can leave us wondering who the perpetrator is, or if they have caught the right person. Take for example the recent hit series on Netflix ‘The Tiger King’. We know that Joe exotic is guilty of threats to kill Carole Baskin. However, it raised questions about Carole Baskins husband and insinuated that she may have killed him and fed her to the tigers. Another popular show was Making a Murderer on Netflix. That program raised questions of how culpable the suspects were and what evidence that they had.
A psychologist, Dr Arroll, told the Telegraph “I think the ones that are the most popular do leave some of that up to your imagination”. She went on to say “That is what good storytelling does. Because, although these are based on real-life cases, they are storytelling. They’re very well edited, and very well put together.” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/a-confession/why-do-we-love-true-crime/
Do we just like being scared?
I know I do. I enjoy the feeling of being on a rollercoaster feeling scared of when the drop is coming but knowing that I am not likely to be hurt in any way. I enjoy watching horror movies for the same reason; I like being scared and wondering what is going to happen next and enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes from the jump scares. However, I would never want to be in a position where my life was actually at risk.
One of my favourite ways to unwind at the end of a stressful day is to cuddle up on the sofa and get my heart racing. I enjoy being able to work out who the most likely perpetrator is. Professor of criminology at Drew University Scott Bonn said in his book that true crime “triggers the most basic and powerful emotion in all of us– fear”. I know that I can experience fear in a controlled environment without ever putting myself at risk. https://backtracks.fm/blog/heres-why-people-love-true-crime-podcasts/#:~:text=According%20to%20Scott%20Bonn%2C%20professor%20of%20criminology%20at,of%20true%20crime%20novels%2C%20television%20shows%2C%20and%20podcasts.
Why does true crime draw more women than men?
The majority of those who seek out true crime stories are female. A social psychologist called Vicary did some initial investigations and found that men were more likely to read and review books about war, while the true crime books were more reviewed by women.
She delved further into the subject and found that “Compared to men, women liked reading about the psychological content of true crime stories,” Vicary said. “Stories where a killer was interviewed by an FBI profile, or that you’re trying to get to the inner workings of a killer in some way.” Women, she found, were also more likely to read true crime books if the victim in the story was female. “My conclusion was that women all seemed to like reading about survival, whether it was preventing or surviving a crime,” says Vicary. “Research shows that women fear crime more than men since they’re more likely to be a victim of one. My thinking is that this fear is leading women, even subconsciously, to be interested in true crime, because they want to learn how to prevent it.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahwatts/2019/02/28/what-one-researcher-discovered-about-americas-true-crime-obsession/#53eccca95e6e
In conclusion, there are likely to be several reasons that we show an interest in true crime stories. These are likely to be different for everyone. One thing for sure is that true crime shows, documentaries, blogs, vlogs and podcasts are not going away any time soon. If you would like to hear more of my thoughts on the subject, have a listen to a podcast debate I took part in. https://soundcloud.com/sian-mcguinness-26613985/why-do-women-love-true-crime-podcasts-1?fbclid=IwAR1fPCrUXyFZmM2Dt6wsSH4FUePdFY9X4Yebf6e9H3DTldgEGU2Qi8KkgvI
