#984 - Coltan Scrivner - Why We’re Drawn to Death, Crime, & Danger
In this Modern Wisdom episode, behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner examines why humans are drawn to dark and dangerous subjects. He breaks down morbid curiosity into four main categories: interest in violence, fascination with dangerous minds, curiosity about injuries, and intrigue with supernatural elements. Through these domains, Scrivner explains how morbid curiosity served as an evolutionary advantage, allowing our ancestors to learn about threats without direct exposure to danger.
The discussion explores how age and gender influence morbid curiosity levels, with younger people showing higher levels overall and women displaying particular interest in understanding dangerous minds. Scrivner also analyzes how different forms of media, particularly horror films and zombie content, tap into these natural curiosities by incorporating multiple elements of threat and danger, using specific techniques to create more engaging experiences for viewers.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Aug 23, 2025 episode of the Modern Wisdom
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1-Page Summary
The Origins and Drivers of Morbid Curiosity
Coltan Scrivner explores the fascinating paradox of human attraction to the macabre, examining how morbid curiosity serves as an evolutionary advantage. He explains that this curiosity helps humans learn about threats without direct exposure to danger, similar to how gazelles observe cheetahs from a safe distance to better understand predator behavior.
The Taxonomy and Domains of Morbid Curiosity
Scrivner identifies four key domains of morbid curiosity: interest in violence and aggression, fascination with dangerous minds and behaviors, curiosity about bodily injuries, and intrigue with the supernatural. These domains, he argues, reflect our innate drive to understand potential threats in our environment, whether they're tangible dangers or abstract supernatural forces.
The Evolutionary and Adaptive Benefits
According to Scrivner, morbid curiosity plays a crucial role in human survival by enabling "threat learning" without direct exposure to danger. This trait creates a delicate balance between our natural instinct to avoid threats and our need to gather information about potential dangers, which historically helped our ancestors prepare for and avoid environmental threats.
Individual Differences and Demographic Factors
Scrivner's research reveals that disgust sensitivity and subclinical psychopathy explain about 50% of the variance in morbid curiosity levels. He notes that younger individuals tend to be more morbidly curious than older adults, and women show particular interest in understanding the minds of dangerous people, possibly as an adaptive response to potential threats.
Psychology and Appeal of Morbid Content Genres
Horror films, Scrivner explains, typically feature a vulnerable protagonist facing a powerful antagonist, creating scenarios that particularly resonate with viewers who have high morbid curiosity. He points out that zombie media is especially effective at engaging morbid curiosity as it encompasses all four domains: human danger, body violation, supernatural elements, and violence. Filmmakers enhance these effects through specific techniques, such as having threats emerge from the left side of the screen, exploiting our natural attention patterns to create more impactful experiences.
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Counterarguments
- The evolutionary advantage of morbid curiosity may not be as clear-cut as presented; other factors like social learning and cultural influences could also play significant roles.
- Observing threats from a distance is not unique to humans and may not necessarily be linked to morbid curiosity but to a more general survival instinct found in many species.
- The innate drive to understand potential threats could be confounded with other psychological drives, such as the need for sensation seeking or the desire for control over one's environment.
- The concept of "threat learning" without direct exposure could be too narrow to explain the wide range of human interests in morbid content, which might also include entertainment, catharsis, or social bonding.
- The balance between avoiding threats and gathering information might not be as delicate as suggested; some individuals may seek out morbid content for reasons unrelated to threat assessment, such as curiosity or peer influence.
- The claim that disgust sensitivity and subclinical psychopathy explain about 50% of the variance in morbid curiosity levels could be contested by studies showing that other factors, like empathy or cultural background, also contribute significantly.
- The assertion that younger individuals are more morbidly curious could be challenged by research indicating that curiosity levels are more closely related to individual personality traits than to age.
- The idea that women are particularly interested in understanding the minds of dangerous people might be an oversimplification and could vary widely depending on personal experiences and cultural context.
- The psychological appeal of horror films might not be universal, and some viewers may find them unappealing or distressing, regardless of their level of morbid curiosity.
- The effectiveness of zombie media in engaging morbid curiosity could be subjective, and not all individuals may find it equally engaging or satisfying.
- Filmmakers' techniques to enhance the impact of morbid content might not be effective for all viewers, as individual differences in media consumption and perception can lead to varied responses.
Actionables
- You can explore your own levels of morbid curiosity by keeping a journal where you note your reactions to different types of media. For instance, after watching a horror movie or reading a true crime article, write down what you felt and thought. This self-reflection can help you understand your personal balance between interest in and aversion to morbid content.
- Develop a safer understanding of threats by engaging in controlled environments like escape rooms with horror themes. These activities can simulate high-stakes scenarios in a safe setting, allowing you to experience and learn from fear-inducing situations without real danger.
- Enhance your emotional intelligence by observing and analyzing characters in horror films or books. Focus on understanding the motivations and behaviors of antagonists, which can provide insights into human psychology and predator behavior. This practice can translate into better threat assessment skills in real-life situations.
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The Origins and Drivers of Morbid Curiosity
Coltan Scrivner delves into the reasons behind human fascination with the macabre, providing insights into how morbid curiosity can be both a paradox and an evolutionary advantage.
Coltan Scrivner's Personal Path To Studying Morbid Curiosity
Intrigued by the Paradox of Humans Shunning Violence, Revering Violence, and Scaring Themselves For Fun
Scrivner is fascinated by the complex relationship humans have with violence and danger—how we simultaneously avoid it, venerate it, and seek it for entertainment. This paradox drives his research into understanding the role of morbid curiosity in our lives.
The Evolutionary Basis for Morbid Curiosity
Humans, like any other animals, are attuned to potential threats in their environment. Scrivner explains that morbid curiosity is an emotion that helps us to learn about threats and how to mitigate them. This type of curiosity elicits a positive feeling that counteracts the natural avoidance of danger, encouraging individuals to approach situations where a learning opportunity about potential threats is presented, even when not in immediate danger.
Morbid Curiosity Aids Threat Detection and Learning Without Direct Danger, Like Prey Observing Predators Safely
Referring to a study observing gazelles and cheetahs, Scrivner points out that gazelles often inspect cheetahs rather than fleeing, especially adolescents, those in larger groups, or those at a safe distance. This behavior suggests an evolutionary strategy to learn and detect threats without direct danger. This translates to humans learning about threats through stories instead of firsthand experiences, reaping the benefits of predator inspection without the associated risks.
Scrivner also ties in evidence that threats frequently appear in dreams, not just nightmares. Our minds may simulate potential threats as a form of rehearsal for real-life situations, similar to how prey observes predators safely to learn.
He further illustrates this with the example of public interest in police body cam footage. This curiosity can provide critical insights into interactions with law enforcement ...
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The Origins and Drivers of Morbid Curiosity
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Morbid curiosity is a paradox as it involves a fascination with dark or disturbing subjects that may seem contradictory to our instinct to avoid danger. This curiosity can be seen as an evolutionary advantage because it allows individuals to learn about potential threats without directly experiencing them, helping them to better understand and navigate dangerous situations. By engaging with morbid topics in a safe context, humans can prepare themselves for real threats and enhance their survival instincts over time. This paradoxical trait of seeking out the macabre for knowledge and understanding has been ingrained in human behavior as a way to adapt and thrive in challenging environments.
- The study referenced regarding gazelles and cheetahs highlights how prey animals exhibit behavior that involves observing predators to learn about threats without direct danger. This behavior is seen in gazelles inspecting cheetahs instead of immediately fleeing, especially when certain conditions are met. This evolutionary strategy allows prey to gather information about potential threats in a safer manner. The study serves as an analogy to how humans engage in morbid curiosity to learn about dangers through stories and simulations.
- Dreams often contain elements related to our daily experiences and emotions, including potential threats we may encounter. These dream scenarios can serve as a way for our brains to practice and prepare for similar situations in waking life. By simulating threatening scenarios during sleep, our minds may be better equipped to respond effectively to real-life dangers when they arise. This phenomenon reflects the brain's complex mechanisms for processing and learning from various stimuli, even during unconscious states.
- Public interest in police body cam footage stems from a desire to gain firsthand insights into interactions between law enforcement officers and civilians. By watching these recordings, individuals can better understand the dyn ...
Counterarguments
- While morbid curiosity may have an evolutionary basis, it could also be argued that cultural factors significantly shape its expression and that not all interest in violence or danger is adaptive.
- The concept of morbid curiosity aiding threat detection without direct danger might not account for the potential desensitization to violence that can occur with repeated exposure, which could reduce the perceived severity of real threats.
- The idea that threats in dreams are rehearsals for real-life situations is intriguing, but alternative theories suggest that dreams may not have a direct functional role and could simply be a byproduct of other cognitive processes.
- Public interest in police body cam footage might not always lead to constructive learning; it could also fuel voyeurism or sensationalism without contributing to a deeper understanding of law enforcement interactions.
- The assertion that morbid curiosity is deeply rooted in human nature and universally aids in preparing ...
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The Taxonomy and Domains of Morbid Curiosity
Coltan Scrivner delves into the complex human fascination with the morbid aspects of life, looking at the reasons behind our attraction to the macabre and the categorization of this intrigue into distinct areas of interest.
Morbid Curiosity Encompasses Four Key Domains
Scrivner identifies four key domains when discussing the concept of morbid curiosity, each reflecting a different aspect of this phenomenon.
Interest in Violence and Aggression
Scrivner's work begins with an interest in why people are drawn to witnessing violence and learning about violent conflicts. Observing a violent encounter, such as a UFC fight or even police body cam footage, can be related to understanding the mechanics of fighting and what happens during such scenarios. Scrivner also notes that children from all cultural backgrounds exhibit behavior showing an interest in violence and aggression. For example, little boys may engage in more direct violent play, while little girls may partake in different kinds of violent games.
Fascination With Dangerous Minds and Behaviors
The interest in people who could be violent without directly witnessing the violent act itself is another domain of morbid curiosity. This includes fascination with zombies in films and how survivor groups often harbor conflicts and intergroup violence. The overlap between being curious about supernatural threats and dangerous minds is significant, Scrivner points out, due to the ambiguity and malice implied by beings whose full intentions are not known.
Curiosity About Bodily Injuries and Violations
The outcome of violence — bodily injuries or violations — forms another domain of morbid curiosity. This is important for humans to understand injuries for treatment and to assess how dangerous the environment is based on the types of injuries observed. Scrivner posits that this curiosity extends to knowing what caused an injury and how one can avoid similar harm. People are typically more interested in non-infectious injuries caused by violence or accidents, as these can offer insights into potential threats without the direct risk of infection. Zombies are highlighted as examples of walking body violations that also create additional injuries.
Intrigue With the Supernatural and Paranormal
Finally, Scrivner finds the interest in the supernatural or paranormal, which includes entities such as ghosts, aliens, w ...
Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary
The Taxonomy and Domains of Morbid Curiosity
Additional Materials
Counterarguments
- The attraction to violence and aggression may not be universal; some individuals or cultures may discourage or have a lower propensity for such interests.
- The interpretation of children's play as an indication of inherent violent tendencies could be challenged by alternative theories that attribute such behavior to social learning or media influence rather than an innate curiosity.
- The fascination with dangerous minds and behaviors might be more reflective of societal influences and media portrayal rather than an intrinsic morbid curiosity.
- The interest in bodily injuries and how to avoid harm could also be seen as a practical survival instinct rather than a form of morbid curiosity.
- The preference for non-infectious injuries over infectious ones might not be solely due to disgust sensitivity; it could also be influenced by the perceived controllability or preventability of non-infectious injuries.
- The intrigue with the supernatural and paranormal could be argued to stem from cultural storytelling and entertainment rather than a direct extension of morbid curiosity.
- The concept that morbid curiosity is a means to navigate potential dangers could be countered by suggesting that it sometimes leads to unnecessary risk-taking or exposure to harmful content.
- The idea that humans are inher ...
Actionables
- You can explore your curiosity about violence and conflict resolution by volunteering as a community mediator, where you'll learn about the roots of aggression and ways to de-escalate situations. By engaging with real-life conflicts in a controlled environment, you'll gain insight into the human fascination with violence and develop skills to manage and resolve disputes, which can be applied to understanding broader societal conflicts.
- Start a personal journal to document and analyze your reactions to different forms of media that depict violence or the supernatural. Note how you feel, what draws your attention, and what you learn about avoiding danger. This self-reflection can help you understand your own morbid curiosity and how it influences your perception of threats, potentially improving your ability to assess risks in your daily life.
- Engage in a creative writing project where you invent stories ...
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The Evolutionary and Adaptive Benefits of Morbid Curiosity
Coltan Scrivner elaborates on how morbid curiosity plays a crucial role in human evolution by contributing to threat learning without requiring direct exposure to danger.
Morbid Curiosity Allows "Threat Learning" Without Direct Exposure
Learning Threats From Observation
Scrivner suggests that observing dangers or learning about them through stories allows individuals to comprehend threats without direct exposure. This form of learning is advantageous as it minimizes the risks of injury while still imparting crucial information about the environment. For example, witnessing a severe injury like a missing limb signals to an observer that a significant danger exists; this ability to detect threats through observation of injuries is a key element of morbid curiosity.
Morbid Curiosity Balances Approach and Avoidance, Fostering Learning
Curiosity Counters Threat Avoidance, Enabling Information Gathering
Scrivner highlights a crucial dynamic that morbid curiosity modulates – the balance between the reflex to avoid danger and the need to approach a potential threat to collect information. This precarious balance allows for the safe gathering of information and education about the environment's dangers without undergoing harm directly.
Morbid Curiosity Likely Aided Survival in Human History
Awareness of Environmental Dangers Helped Ancestors Avoid and Prepare
Scrivner un ...
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The Evolutionary and Adaptive Benefits of Morbid Curiosity
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- "Threat learning" without direct exposure means acquiring knowledge about dangers and risks without personally experiencing them. This learning can occur through observing others, hearing stories, or studying past events. It allows individuals to understand and prepare for potential threats without putting themselves in harm's way. By learning from indirect sources, individuals can gain valuable insights into dangers while minimizing the risks associated with direct exposure.
- In the context of morbid curiosity, balancing approach and avoidance means navigating the instinct to stay away from danger while also seeking information about potential threats. This balance allows individuals to learn about dangers without directly experiencing harm. It involves a delicate interplay between the urge to avoid risky situations and the need to gather knowledge to enhance survival skills. By managing this equilibrium, individuals can acquire valuable insights about threats in their environment without putting themselves in immediate danger.
- Morbid curiosity, by enabling individuals to learn about threats without direct exposure, helped our ancestors anticipate and navigate dangers in their environment. This heightened awareness of environmental risks allowed them to make preparations and avoid harm effectively, contributing to their survival. Stories featuring predators and dangers across different cultures suggest a universal value in communicating threats, aiding societies in preparing for potential dangers historically. The ability to balance approach and avoidance through morbid curiosity facilitated the ...
Counterarguments
- Morbid curiosity might sometimes lead to unnecessary risk-taking or exposure to trauma.
- The concept of morbid curiosity could be culturally constructed, not universally adaptive or evolutionary.
- Other factors, such as social cohesion and technological innovation, may have played a more significant role in survival than morbid curiosity.
- The balance between approach and avoidance could be disrupted by excessive morbid curiosity, leading to maladaptive behaviors.
- The benefits of morbid curiosity might not apply equally in modern contexts where exposure to graphic content is more prevalent and can have negative psychological effects.
- The historical significance of morbid curiosity is difficult to measure and may be overemphasized compared ...
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Individual Differences and Demographic Factors in Morbid Curiosity
Morbid Curiosity Unrelated to Most Traits or Demographics
Coltan Scrivner's study delves into the facets of morbid curiosity, separating it from other personality traits and demographic factors.
Disgust and Psychopathy Explain Variance in Morbid Curiosity
Scrivner reveals that disgust sensitivity and subclinical psychopathy significantly explain the variance in an individual's morbid curiosity. Disgust sensitivity, influencing the type and intensity of morbid content a person is comfortable with, alongside psychopathy, predicts about 50% of people's scores in morbid curiosity. This takes into account the Big Five personality traits, sex, age, and other variables. Contrary to Scrivner's initial expectations, disgust sensitivity is only slightly correlated with morbid curiosity, with some sub-scales explaining about 10% of the variance.
Scrivner also found that higher levels of subclinical psychopathy are one of the factors most strongly correlated with morbid curiosity. Moreover, there was no relationship found between empathy levels and the enjoyment or aversion to horror.
Younger Individuals Are More Curious About Morbidity Than Older Adults
Morbid Curiosity's Learning Benefits Are Greatest Early in Life
Scrivner points out the decline of morbid curiosity with age, an observation that parallels studies on animals, such as adolescent gazelles engaging in predator inspection. He suggests that intense curiosity in children, observed in contexts like kids' camps with ages ranging from five to nine, has underlying links to the benefits of morbid curiosity for learning and environmental exploration. Observations show that kids are significantly morbidly curious, often exploring this curiosity in pretend play where they can manage the morbid scenarios' emotions.
Women More Interested in "Minds of Dangerous People" Than Men
Adaptive Response to Threat of Violence From Men
In a discussion about the demographics of morbid curiosity, Scrivner notes that women exhibit more interest in understanding the minds of dangerous individuals, particularly men with dark personality traits. He shares research findings that indicate women high in morbid curiosity showed beha ...
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Individual Differences and Demographic Factors in Morbid Curiosity
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Subclinical psychopathy is a term used to describe individuals who exhibit some traits of psychopathy but do not meet the full criteria for a clinical diagnosis of psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. It signifies a milder form of psychopathic traits that can still impact behavior and personality. This concept helps researchers understand variations in psychopathic traits within the general population. Subclinical psychopathy can manifest as characteristics like manipulativeness, lack of empathy, and impulsivity without reaching the severity seen in diagnosed psychopaths.
- The Big Five personality traits, also known as the five-factor model, categorize human personality into five key dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These traits are measured on a continuous scale and provide a framework for understanding and assessing individual differences in personality. The model is widely used in psychology and personality research to capture the fundamental aspects of human personality.
- The dark triad traits consist of Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissism, and sub-clinical psychopathy. These traits are associated with malevolent qualities and a callous-manipulative interpersonal style. Each trait has distinct characteristics: narcissism involves grandiosity and lack of empathy, Machiavellianism involves manipulativeness and self-interest focus, and ps ...
Counterarguments
- The correlation between disgust sensitivity and morbid curiosity might be more complex than presented, with other factors such as cultural background and personal experiences also playing significant roles.
- The predictive power of psychopathy on morbid curiosity might not be as strong in different cultural contexts or with different operational definitions of psychopathy.
- The lack of relationship between empathy and enjoyment of horror could be contested by studies that show a nuanced relationship where certain types of empathy (e.g., cognitive vs. affective) might influence responses to horror differently.
- The decline of morbid curiosity with age could be influenced by cohort effects or changing social roles rather than a direct result of aging.
- The assertion that children's morbid curiosity is linked to learning and environmental exploration could be challenged by alternative explanations such as the development of coping mechanisms or social bonding.
- The idea that women are more interested in the minds of dangerous people could be influenced by social or cultural narratives rather than an adaptive evolutionary strategy.
- The interpretation of women's interest in "bad boys" could be s ...
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Psychology and Appeal of Morbid Content Genres
Exploring why people find morbid content intriguing, experts in psychology delve into the components of horror films and zombie media that captivate audiences.
Horror Films Depict a Classic Morbid Curiosity Scenario
Horror films often create a connection with the viewers through the scenarios they present, engaging with the audience's natural curiosity and emotional responses.
Highly Vulnerable Protagonist and a Powerful Antagonist
Coltan Scrivner highlights the classic dynamic in horror films—featuring a highly vulnerable protagonist facing off against a powerful antagonist. This dynamic creates an archetypal story where the protagonist, although an underdog, usually finds a way to survive. Scrivner suggests that this narrative particularly resonates with viewers who have a high morbid curiosity.
Scrivner also draws a parallel between the threats seen in dreams and those depicted in horror films, where a similar imbalance of power between the dreamer or viewer, and a seeming threat, mirrors our inherent interest in threat scenarios. He discusses the degree to which empathy plays a role in this enjoyment, suggesting that horror fans may be highly empathetic because of their ability to put themselves in the shoes of the vulnerable protagonist.
Zombie Media Appeals to Morbid Curiosity In all Domains
Zombies serve as a nexus for various elements that arouse morbid curiosity among audiences. Scrivner doesn't provide specific commentary on this, but it's implied that the zombie genre capitalizes on the human fascination with threats that are at once familiar and otherworldly.
Zombies Embody Human Danger, Body Violation, the Supernatural, and Violence
Zombies are a potent example of morbid content because they encompass all four domains of fascination by representing danger from what was once human, engaging in acts of violence, possessing supernatural elements, and displaying and inflicting bodily harm.
"Techniques Like 'Monster Enters Left' Heighten Morbid Content"
...
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Psychology and Appeal of Morbid Content Genres
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Coltan Scrivner, an expert in psychology, highlights the classic dynamic in horror films where a vulnerable protagonist faces a powerful antagonist, resonating with viewers' morbid curiosity. He draws parallels between threats in dreams and horror films, emphasizing the imbalance of power and the role of empathy in audience enjoyment. Scrivner suggests that horror fans may be highly empathetic due to their ability to relate to the vulnerable protagonist, enhancing their engagement with morbid content.
- Bias exploitation in filmmaking involves strategically using the audience's natural tendencies, like attention drift towards the right side, to create surprise and enhance emotional impact. By introducing surprises and shock events from the viewer's left side, filmmakers tap into the brain's right hemisphere, known for its heightened emotional response and spatial alertness. This technique leverages cognitive asymmetry to make unexpected events more impactful and effective, especially in creating jump scares. The misdirection caused by this bias exploitation challenges viewers' anticipation, intensifying the overall viewing experience ...
Counterarguments
- While horror films often feature a vulnerable protagonist and a powerful antagonist, some argue that this dynamic is too simplistic and does not account for more complex narratives within the genre that may not fit this mold.
- The suggestion that empathy plays a role in the enjoyment of horror films could be countered by studies showing that desensitization to violence and lack of empathy might also contribute to the enjoyment of such content for some individuals.
- The idea that zombie media appeals due to a combination of human danger, body violation, the supernatural, and violence might be overly reductionist, as it does not consider the potential for other themes such as societal collapse, human nature, and survivalism to be the primary draw for audiences.
- The technique of 'monster enters left' to exploit cognitive biases and engage the right hemisphere might not be universally e ...
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