301. Why do we love true crime?
The Psychology of your 20s
iHeartPodcasts
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why are we so obsessed with the dark side of life? From true crime and horror movies to disaster documentaries and haunted house tours, morbid curiosity is everywhere - but what does it actually say about us? In today’s episode, we explore the psychology of morbid curiosity - why we’re drawn to frightening, disturbing, and even grotesque content, and how this strange pull might be more adaptive than we think.
We discuss:
- What morbid curiosity really is, and how it shows up in daily life
- The four types of morbid curiosity (and which ones you might lean toward)
- How personality traits like openness and sensation seeking shape our preferences
- Why some people find comfort in horror, and others find control in true crime
- The evolutionary and neurological roots of this phenomenon
- How morbid curiosity can turn maladaptive (and where the line is)
Whether you're deep into Reddit rabbit holes or just wondering why you can't look away from crime scene documentaries, this episode is for you. We explore the fascinating science behind fear, survival, and our cultural obsession with darkness - and why it might say more about our strength than our weakness.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:05.0 | I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast Betrayal. |
| 0:09.0 | Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. |
| 0:12.7 | Most of all, his wife, Caroline. |
| 0:15.2 | He texted, I've ruined our lives. |
| 0:18.3 | You're going to want to divorce me. |
| 0:20.6 | How far would he go to cover up what he'd done? |
| 0:23.8 | The fact that you lied is absolutely horrific. |
| 0:26.8 | And quite frankly, I question how many other women are out there |
| 0:29.5 | that may bring forward allegations in the future. |
| 0:32.1 | Listen to betrayal on the Iheart radio app, |
| 0:34.5 | Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:46.8 | Have you ever thought about going voice sober? I'm Hope Woodard, a comedian, |
| 0:54.0 | creator, and seeker of male validation. I'm also the girl behind Boy Sober, the movement that exploded in 2024. |
| 0:56.9 | You might hear that term and think it's about celibacy, but to me, Boy Sober is about |
| 1:01.9 | understanding yourself outside of sex and relationships. |
| 1:05.4 | It's flexible. It's customizable. And it's a personal process. |
| 1:10.2 | Singleness is not a waiting room. |
| 1:11.9 | You are actually at the party right now. |
| 1:14.4 | Let me hear it. |
| 1:16.0 | Listen to voiceover on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:23.1 | The Made for This Mountain Podcasts exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. |
... |
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