Fascinated by catastrophic events?

[Gewurztraminer]

Just randomly thinking. I find myself being so fascinated with natural disasters or catastrophic events and disaster films are my favourite. Have read up on everything possible on the 2004 tsunami for example but also really interested in events like Chernobyl. I never learned a lot in history at school but I am now fascinated by the war and what happened in Auschwitz etc. I've visited the killing fields in Cambodia and found it so fascinating but also sombre. It's not like an enjoyment thing or anything as I really respect what happened, I just feel a weird urge to know everything about catastrophes like this. I have honestly spent hours as a teenager reading up on 9/11, tsunamis, earthquakes. Anyone else like this or am I just mad? 🙈

You're not mad, I'm the same. I really want to visit Pompeii.

Whatever it is that draws you back to those terrible things is the same thing that draws huge audiences to true crime programmes.
I think about this a lot as I work in factual TV and have made documentaries about natural disasters, crime, man made disasters etc - you end up spending a lot of time hearing about the worst things that have happened to people. There is definitely a there but for the grace of god thing - thank god that wasn't me. And I think being reminded of the fragility of life can be a positive reminder to make the most of your own life. The 2004 tsunami is one horrific example of how everything you know can change or be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

It's a natural fascination..As above look at all the documentaries and podcasts about events like this. I don't know why humans are like this but there must be some explanation. Some sort of protective thinking? Playing out our worst fears without actually living them wild be my guess?

I'm similar. Natural disasters, extreme weather events and the science behind them fascinate me.

I'm doing a post graduate course in this area. I'd like to think I can help recovery if not prevent incidents.

I think it's partly we can't comprehend human suffering on an epic scape, whether that be en masse or for one person.

Our brains are drawn to the detail to try and accept it.

Not sure how much good it does us.

I also think the tv shows/ Internet algorithms are somehow designed to feed and provoke these tendencies.

I'm exactly the same!!! I found you!! Haha!! I love disaster films. I'm also fascinated by real life disasters, not in a way that they make me happy or anything but I'm so invested on how they occurred. Hillsborough for example, im devastated for those that does and their families, but I'm so interested in the events that caused it I watch loads of programmes about it, usually (I'm a retired cop) trying to figure out how to have avoided the things going wrong. I do that with lots of real life disasters. You're not alone

I'm not so sure. I'm like this too. Particularly about extreme weather etc, but I can't bear gory horror films and actively avoid them. There is probably an overlap, but I don't think the two are linked.

I stayed up until 1am a few nights ago watching Facebook reels of pilot conversations with air control that the planes had issues and they all ended in crashes.

Don't know why.

I think humans generally have a desire to try to make sense of things that have happened, and especially tragic things. We feel like if we can understand them, we can control them or prevent them from happening again. I think that fuels a lot of the curiosity. I also find that it happens more with recent events, say in the last 100 years, because they feel more directly relevant. I'm less interested, for example, in notable tsunamis of the 14th century.

I'm the same.

I am obsessed with:

The Titanic
9/11
The death of Nikki Catsouras
The Verruckt incident (water slide)
The death of Tyre Sampson
Mallory's attempt on Everest (in fact, all Everest disasters)

Same!! I remember being so interested in it as a kid

Yeah I can be the same, I follow the Twitter page ‘morbid knowlege’ (think it’s called that?) and often see things on there that I find equal parts horrifying and fascinating.

I think the word is ghoul

Sheer human curiosity. Most people are the same. Fascinated when something really bad or catastrophic happens.

YANBU.

I am exactly the same and have been ever since I was about 13. My son is the same. To be honest I don’t think it’s that unusual if you consider how many films / books / etc are written about these things, it clearly has an audience. My curiosity has also tipped into true crime and serial killers. For me personally I know I have had some really horrific things happen to me and finding out what others have gone through somehow makes me feel less alone in a weird way, it enables me to empathise with others in a way I can’t really often do in day to day life. Can’t really say more without being too outing I guess but it annoys me when people say it’s weird and whatever else because I think it’s actually very normal to care about what others have been through and to want to try and understand it.

I love extreme weather but not human tragedy. Like 9/11 just makes me sad but tsunamis fascinate me.

I'm the same, I am currently alternating between Titanic, Everest, Titan, air crashes (esp Mentour pilot on you tube) and MH370, recently the Bayesian sinking and have in the past been interested in Chernobyl. Just like you it's not really enjoyment but wanting to know the details, read and understand everything about them and how they happened.

Yep I'm the same

Got obsessed with 9/11 recently especially the survivor stories

Also some of the famous non survivors like the waving woman

Guess that means I have morbid curiosity.

Absolutely not. Can't stand them

I do love a good disaster movie though

You should def go, we went to Naples, Sorrento Amalfi coast and Herculaneum and Pompeii and it was one of my favourite holidays. I'd love to go back

Yep, I do this too. Every year I fall into a 9/11 rabbit hole, tragedies on Everest, 2004 tsunami, the Japan tsunami- I watch endless documentaries on survivors.

I think it's because even though I watched these unimaginable tragedies unfold on TV I can't ever comprehend the tragedy or shock on a personal level. I guess watching documentaries or reading about it solidifies it as still as shocking as it ever was. Then I do google searches on survivors to see how they're doing now, because I want to know that they've survived such horrors and have had happiness in their lives.

I am like this. I have occasionally succumbed to Quora clickbait but find this disrespectful in many ways, so now just close down such emails.