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Original poster

Why is it that humans want to know the awful details of a murder?

38 replies

GiantWaterBottle · 30/09/2021 21:31

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this.
I've just been wondering, triggered by the recent details of an awful murder, I found myself reading all the details even while knowing the person is already dead so I can do nothing and that the details would stick with me and upset me.
Judging by the way these things are reported I think it must be something others do too (or I'm a total freak).

But I'm just interested in the why! Why do we seek it out, report on it, read it? When there is no obvious reason.

All thoughts welcome.

OP posts:

Lessthanaballpark · 30/09/2021 21:33

I think it’s because we can’t imagine how people can do such things.

BabyRace · 30/09/2021 21:34

I think it's because we will make up scenarios in our minds if we don't know what happens. Once we know, we will eventually stop thinking about it. We've also been conditioned into thinking that knowing is important, unexplained deaths are not common, post mortem science is quite advanced and frequently used.

picklemewalnuts · 30/09/2021 21:36

I try really hard not to get drawn in to it. I've not seen many details of this one. It is bad for me, emotionally, and doesn't help anyone to subject myself to it.

Some people do it in a desire to punish themselves, I think, for being part of a society that does this and also in solidarity with the victim- 'she suffered it, we shouldn't shy away from hearing about it' approach.

Neither is right or wrong.

Chicchicchicchiclana · 30/09/2021 21:39

Only some humans. I go out of my way to avoid any sort of detail.

MultiStorey · 30/09/2021 22:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Halfarsedwoman · 30/09/2021 22:06

There’s a podcast called My Favorite Murder which is two women researching and then telling each other what they learned about a true crime. They talk about why they are so fascinated by true crime and say it is a way to help them deal with their anxiety and feel more prepared - forewarned is forearmed kind of thing. It’s worth a listen if you like true crime.

leavesthataregreen · 30/09/2021 22:08

When I do, it's because I'm trying to work out why someone behaved that way, and looking for clues that indicate what has gone wrong in their mental state. Not sure why i think that information will be useful. It's almost as if knowing hwat to expect protects you in some way.

JaninaDuszejko · 30/09/2021 22:12

I never seek out this information but it's everywhere isn't it so there's definitely an appetite for it. And there's always something extraordinary in the details of murders that dominate the headlines that make them stick in your consciousness, whether that is something about the murderer or the victim(s). Male violence is so destructive .

Dougt · 30/09/2021 22:23

Do we need to know what people are capable of? What devastation it causes? Is it unimaginable otherwise? I think so. I’d rather not have to think such things but it would be cowardly in the extreme to pretend it’s not happening around the world.

Lockheart · 30/09/2021 22:25

For the same reasons that people will slow down to rubberneck at car accidents.

Humans are, as a general rule, nosy and gossipy creatures.

Timeisavirtue · 30/09/2021 22:25

I think it’s a way to process it.... it’s always intrigued me as to why people act the way they do and what possessed them to do it....

ShaneTheThird · 30/09/2021 22:27

I am fascinated by true crime. I wanted to be a criminal psychologist because I want to know what makes these people tick and is there any warning signs before they escalate to murder. Some crimes I listen to the details and just find it so distressing and incomprehensible that someone could inflict that on another human being. I witnessed an actual murder a couple of months ago and it was the most traumatising thing to see in real life. Made me realise people often don't associate the gruesome stories they watch online as being real.

AGreenerShadeofKale · 30/09/2021 22:28

Tbh I don't listen or read much nowadays.

I suppose this sort of "gossip" or storytelling about misadventures in general is hard wired into humans as a group learning experience. However in a world of millions of people rather than out tribe we become over exposed.

Halo1234 · 30/09/2021 22:30

I think its because we can't comprehend how someone could do that.....we can't process it. How? Just how? Lots of unanswered questions. How can we stop it happening to ourselves? How did he manage to get her? Why??? (Not that we can ever understand why). But our shock and disbelief leaves more questions than answers so we want to know more.
But like u the more I hear/read the worse I feel.

ShaneTheThird · 30/09/2021 22:32

I think in some ways it's a kind of perverse thrill, similar to watching a horror movie. We feel invincible because it's not us.

APurpleSquirrel · 30/09/2021 22:34

I thought it was a survival instinct? You observe & learn about a potential threat so you can learn to avoid it.
So in the wild, a chimp might see that if they go down to rivers edge at a certain time they could be eaten by a crocodile, so learn by observation that it's better to go to a different bit of water etc?
It's just the threats in the human world are more complex, hence why people slow at crash sites & willingly read information about horrific accidents etc. This person survived by doing this; but that person didn't, so don't do that.

Bagelsandbrie · 30/09/2021 22:37

I am fascinated by true crime, always have been and have almost an encyclopaedic mental knowledge of every serial killer and their crimes you can think of. For me it’s the whole wanting to know how these people can do such things, the way they can compartmentalise their lives.

Littleants · 30/09/2021 22:44

Pretty sure I’m human. I don’t need to know the lurid details of a murder. Especially as there is a chance the murderer may be getting off on everyone reading about his actions.

ODFOx · 30/09/2021 22:54

I really don't know but the whole psychology of it is fascinating.
My DH is interested in serial killers but I've always said that while I love a dramatic thriller I have no Interest in finding out more about real crimes as it seems like using tragedy as entertainment: until the Kim Edwards murders which kept me awake at night. It was horrific and I have no idea why some part of me needed to know all the detail. I think less of myself for wanting to know.

RoseRedRoseBlue · 30/09/2021 23:06

@ShaneTheThird

I think in some ways it's a kind of perverse thrill, similar to watching a horror movie. We feel invincible because it's not us.

Yes , it a vicarious thrill for a lot of people.

Spongeboob · 30/09/2021 23:15

Morbid curiosity and being unable to process how a person could possibly harm another in such a way. Well, that's my point of view anyway. I don't understand it, but I'm also aware that as much as I try I won't ever be able to.

NannyPear · 30/09/2021 23:16

In a way I feel obliged to know. These poor victims had to experience it and I feel guilty if I purposefully try to avoid knowing the details. They didn't have the chance to close the screen or turn the page so I feel like I owe it to them to hear what they went through and learn from it somehow?
Whether that's a rational explanation or not is another story.

Roominmyhouse · 30/09/2021 23:17

I’m not sure most people find it thrilling. I am fascinated by true crime and listen to lots of podcasts on the subject. I don’t do it for a thrill I just find it very interesting to learn about what drives people to do such things. True crime is hugely popular in both podcasts and tv.

Spongeboob · 30/09/2021 23:17

@NannyPear

In a way I feel obliged to know. These poor victims had to experience it and I feel guilty if I purposefully try to avoid knowing the details. They didn't have the chance to close the screen or turn the page so I feel like I owe it to them to hear what they went through and learn from it somehow? Whether that's a rational explanation or not is another story.

Also this.

GiantHaystacks2021 · 30/09/2021 23:18

Why not?
Why should there be this big omerta about it?

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