By Austin Price, Staff Writer
I consider myself a true crime enthusiast. I love listening to true crime podcasts, reading true crime biographies and studies, reading and writing murder mysteries and short stories, watching and rewatching every true crime documentary out there. My family members gave me books about serial killers and psychopathic criminals for Christmas. My recommended list on Netflix includes titles like Catching Killers, Cold Case Files, Murder Mountain, The Confession Killer, American Crime Story, A Perfect Crime, and so many more that make me look insane.
To fellow true crime enthusiasts, this list makes perfect sense. Perhaps you may even explore some of these new titles. But, to all you common folk who aren’t obsessed with the most gruesome deaths imaginable, you may fear me. That’s okay. I am here to explain to you all the cultural obsession with true crime and why I, and so many others, can’t seem to get enough of it.
My obsession with true crime began about a year ago, before I started college. I have always considered myself mature for my age, but it didn’t really hit me how much of an old soul I was until comparing Spotify playlists with my friends. While they were listening to Harry Styles and Ariana Grande, I was listening to podcasts titled Sinister Societies, True Crime Couple, Dark Histories, and many more. I guess this was when it started to sink in that I had become completely engulfed in the world of true crime. My obsession was later enhanced when my friends and I watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a movie about the life and crimes of Ted Bundy. While my friends were scared, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about this monster and others like him. And so, my quest for all true crime material and media began.
Before we get too far into things, I would like to say that I am not a murderer, nor am I a future murderer. Instead, I would like to claim the unofficial title of True Crime Addict. Calm down everyone, there are much worse things I could be addicted to than learning about death and the many ways I could kill someone. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, please follow me, your friendly neighborhood true crime addict, as I explain to you the reasoning behind my obsession and assure you that my behavior is completely normal. Here we go.
True crime enthusiasts are so common in today’s day and age that we have a name for ourselves: murderinos. According to Urban Dictionary, a murderino is defined as “A person who is interested in, especially obsessed with, murders. Including serial murderers, spree killers and rage/thrill killers.”
I think this definition describes me well and it’s comforting to know there are other true crime addicts out there that feel the same way as I do. I mean, we’re popular enough to have our own definition on Urban Dictionary, that’s one heck of an accomplishment. Now that you’re aware of our social status, let’s see what psychologists think of self-proclaimed murderinos.
Natural Curiosity
Psychologist Chivonna Childs, PhD, explores why people are obsessed with true crime and the psychological effects it can have. “Watching true crime doesn’t make you strange or weird,” Dr. Childs says. “It’s human nature to be inquisitive. True crime appeals to us because we get a glimpse into the mind of a real person who has committed a heinous act.” Most true crime lovers are fascinated by the likes of Jack the Ripper, H.H. Holmes and Ted Bundy out of a deep desire to better understand their unthinkable capacity for cruelty. “We want to see how they tick,” she says.
Dr. Childs continues explaining why women are more prone to enjoy and obsess over true crime than men are because women are also disproportionately likely to be the victims of crime. “We want to watch true crime in part to learn how to avoid being a victim,” she says. “It can teach us to be prepared in case we’re ever in that situation.”
I completely agree with this statement. True crime also allows us to operate in a safer, smarter way, reducing the risk of becoming the topic of a podcast ourselves. Because of all the heinous crimes I have heard, I now carry pepper spray and a taser with me and I refuse to walk alone with both earbuds in. I walk in groups when leaving a location, no matter the time of day, and I am constantly scanning my surroundings and walking with artificial confidence to try and scare off predators. I cannot say I would have done any of these things a year ago, but I was a different person then. I was much more naïve and innocent. While true crime may not be the most fun to listen to, it certainly is the most educational when you’re a young, small woman in your 20s that’s had one self-defense class in her life.
Emily Mendez, M.S., Ed.S., is a published writer and expert on the topics of psychology, criminology, deviant behavior and mental health. She suggests that our fear drives us to learn as much as we can to preserve our own safety. “True crime appeals to our natural instinct to survive,” she says. “It eases our fears about the same thing happening to us. Understanding what the victims did or didn’t do in these situations helps us feel more in control. We believe that watching these shows will help us know how to act if we are ever in these situations ourselves.”
Consuming true crime is also shown to satisfy a natural sense of curiosity in humans. According to Lawyer Monthly, “True crime dramas give us an insight into our culture and norms as well as our anxieties and values. By watching true crime dramas, we unlock our natural desire to solve puzzles and mysteries and get to speculate as to why criminals may act the way they do. These programs also allow us to examine the darker sides of humanity from a safe distance, and they bring in another crucial element – our natural desire for justice. People get emotionally invested and want to see those who have done wrong get caught and punished.”
True crime consumption and enjoyment has all the basics for good storytelling. Giving it a huge selling point for writers and bookworms. True crime has interesting characters, a sense of urgency, and tension that is (in most cases) released when the mystery is solved at the end. True crime also allows fans a sense of catharsis, meaning a version of therapy and way to reduce stress and anxiety.
Normally, we experience emotions like sadness or anger in real-world situations that are much more serious and negatively impact us. Engaging with those emotions in a safe, contained and chosen environment, like on your couch or in your car, can be therapeutic for some people. "It's really common and normal to enjoy things that involve experiencing difficult emotions in safe ways, like rollercoasters and horror movies and sad films,” says Emily Dworkin, a trauma researcher and assistant professor in the UW School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Dworkin is not alone in this belief. Psychologist Dr Pamela Rutledge states “True crime allows us to experience fear in a safe way.” Rutledge continues her explanation by saying, “The attraction to true crime television has an evolutionary basis. Crime attracts our attention because we are hardwired to notice things that indicate danger; we instinctively watch to see if we are at risk. We are naturally curious. Finding answers and solutions makes us feel safer and more satisfied. True crime shows are a specific genre that signals a mystery story with the added adrenaline reaction from knowing something really happened. We enjoy the emotional experience of suspense and threat in entertainment because it allows us to experience fear in a safe way.”
Professor of sociology and criminology Scott Bonn explained that while the actions of a serial killer may be horrible to behold, many people simply can’t look away due to the thrill of the spectacle. “As a source of popular-culture entertainment, serial killers allow us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment, where the threat is exciting, but not real,” he said. “Serial killers are for adults what monster movies are for children—that is, good, ghoulish fun.”
Rutledge also attributes our obsession with true crime based on our desire to understand what could enable someone to do something so evil. Dr Rutledge says, “Evil is a fundamental social taboo. We want to understand why evil – acts that violate social order – can happen and what drives individuals who are so untethered to social values.”
“We all possess a dark side, although I would say most are light gray as opposed to inky black, and maybe that’s why so many of us are obsessed with the sinister doings of others,” says Janice Holly Booth, author of “A Voice out of Nowhere: Inside the Mind of a Mass Murderer.”
True crime also allows the exploitation of mistakes by the justice system and an appropriate and respectful look at victims and their families. Lindy Boustedt, and host of the podcast “A Senseless Death,” credits her desire to overcome the world’s general sense of chaos as a driving force in her interest in true crime. “True crime stories allow me to search for a sense of knowing, a sense of understanding so the world doesn’t feel so chaotic,” she says. “It also is a search for justice, hoping that in the end, the right side will prevail, and justice will be served.”
Beware the Turning Point into Obsession
Now, while there are many neutral effects of listening to and consuming true crime content, there is a point where a love of true crime can become more than love and turn into an obsession.
Psychologist Chivonna Childs, Ph.D. dives deep into the psychological effect of crime shows. “Shows that focus on murder and rape can really take you to a bad place,” Dr. Childs says. “They can help you become more vigilant and aware, but you don’t want to become overly reactive to the point where you’re not leaving your house, you’re not socializing, you’re not functioning.”
There are ways of taking you off the path of dangerous obsession and fascination with true crime. Dr. Childs says some of the main warning signs include you’re scared all the time, you feel unsafe at home, you’re wary of others, you’re anxious all the time, you cannot sleep or experience restless sleep, or you feel a never-ending sense of tension both physically and mentally.
“Your body is going to tell you how much is too much,” Dr. Childs says. You don’t need to swear off all your favorite true and fictionalized crime shows forever. But the adage “Everything in moderation” applies. Too much of a good thing is still too much.
All in all, being a true crime enthusiast does not make you a future murderer. Nor does it make you a potential suspect in any case. With thoughtful intentions, monitored moderation, scheduled breaks, and consciously separating true crime stories from your personal life, true crime can be a great way to better understand humanity and the dangers behind it. True crime enthusiasts are the most self-aware, spatially aware, and street-smart people on the planet giving us a benefit from others misfortune.