Murder Mystery
2025-12-01 · 52 min · 12 entities
Asserted relationships
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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
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evidence rules-v4
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Feed category: Social Sciences
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Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain Media
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Feed category: Performing Arts
Entities found in this episode
concepts 8
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Feed category: Science
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Arts
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Social Sciences
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Feed category: Performing Arts
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Arts
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Social Sciences
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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Performing Arts
persons 2
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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
companys 2
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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain Media
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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Hidden Brain Media
Episode description as stored
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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