After watching the documentary What Jennifer Did, I couldn’t help but wonder why watching true crime fascinated me so much. If you are unfamiliar with the documentary, let me provide a short summary: Jennifer Pan called 911, saying that someone had shot her mother and father. Her mother had died, but her father was in a coma and survived. For a few days, it seemed as if Jennifer was just another victim of the shooting. However, once her father woke up, they learned the truth. Jennifer hired a hitman to kill her parents, and was charged with first-degree murder of her mother, Bich Pan. These were the types of stories that would keep me up at night, but I couldn’t get enough. This begs the question, what is the psychological reasoning behind the love of true crime?
People are naturally drawn to the unknown, and true crime documentaries help people experience this rush of adrenaline in the comfort of their own home. You’re sitting back, watching it all unfold, but somehow you still get pulled into the chaos. According to the Highlander, “Psychologist Dr Pamela Rutledge states ‘True crime allows us to experience fear in a safe way.’” This love of true crime is fueled by our craving of adrenaline, and true crime documentaries give us just that.
Studies have proven that women tend to enjoy true crime more than men do. And the reasoning behind it is scary itself. According to the PsychologyToday, “women have told me that they look to true crime TV shows and podcasts for tips on how to protect themselves from attacks by strangers, as well as how to detect sociopathic ‘red flags’” Whenever I watch true crime documentaries, I tend to think about what I would do in those types of situations. Surprisingly, most women do. The desire to stay vigilant and well-prepared for real-world situations like these is the reason why women love true crime much more than men, and make up 80% of the audience.
Watching true crime has shown to satisfy curiosity in people. People often try to understand why the villains in true crime do what they do. According to Capus Times, “True crime awakens everyone’s inner armchair detective. After a few episodes of any true crime offering, every person is so engrossed in the story that they want to figure out the whodunnit part before the show gives it to them.” The saying “curiosity kills the cat” obviously never met a true-crime addict. This curiosity can actually help protect watchers from threats they might face.
To conclude, the love of true crime is a lot deeper than you would think. It actually has psychological reasoning behind it. As explained, watching true crime is more common among women, true crime helps the audience feel a rush of adrenaline, and true crime has shown to satisfy curiosity in people. Although watching true crime might be gruesome and morbid, that’s exactly why people love it.