People have always been fascinated by crime dramas. Books, audiobooks, TV shows, and movies—you name it, there’s a crime drama there somewhere. Of the many pastimes people can have, one of the most common is watching or reading about crimes. And while it can be argued that one can get their daily fix from the news, you don’t really get to see what happens behind the scenes, and in a way that’s still visually palatable. Humans are, after all, curious creatures, but why does there seem to be a constant fascination for crime dramas? Is it merely curiosity or something deeper?
Psychology has a lot to say about why people tend to love crime dramas. Find out more by reading below.
Crime Dramas Can Serve As An Emotional Release For Some
Every person copes with their emotions differently from others. Understanding the field of psychology will tell you this. Some prefer to relax, write it down, or even go out for a run. Others, surprisingly, watch crime dramas as a form of emotional release. Especially when they’re watching it at the end of a long and stressful day, this is one way they can relieve their mind of whatever’s occupying it.
Crime dramas, such as Death In Paradise, are naturally made to be thrilling. As the viewer, you get to experience the tension in a scene, but without the trauma accompanying those events should they happen to you in real life. You’re immersed in the situation on screen, but are, at the same time, detached from it. For people going through a very stressful day, this could provide some form of emotional release.
Most crime dramas tend to have a satisfying conclusion at the end, where the mystery is solved or the victims are given the justice they deserve. In the end, there is closure, and this is likely where the viewer can feel relaxed after watching all those thrilling scenes. After this, you’ll be surprised to find that you can finally sleep better.
Crime Dramas Feed People’s Fascination Of Good Vs. Evil
Watching or reading about crime dramas enables you to venture into the world of evil from a safe distance. Through crime dramas, you get to delve into the psyche of people who committed heinous crimes without having to experience any actual interaction with them. The fictional aspect of the story (even if it is based on a true event), coupled with the organized, cinematographic way that it has been presented, makes it less terrifying for people when feeding their fascination for good against evil.
As children, we were taught that killing is bad, and while that explanation may have sufficed for a few years, a human being’s natural curiosity would always prompt them to wonder why a person has, for instance, brutally murdered another. Psychologists noted that this is a normal human response. As an adult, you might feel that there’s a sense of profundity that’s missing, and that the violent actions of a criminal can’t simply be explained as “bad.” As we mature and go through life, we realize that people, even those capable of committing crimes and killings, are not one-dimensional characters. Watching crime dramas can then satisfy some of the questions you might have.
Women Are Drawn To It As A Preparation For Real-Life Threats
In recent years, many crime documentaries and shows feature women as the victims of a crime. A study on the reality crime TV show “America’s Most Wanted” looks into the depiction of women as crime victims. Research compares episodes from different seasons, where it is found that feminine vulnerability seems to be emphasized in the show, thus giving the impression that women are more often the victims of a crime compared to men.
While it can be argued that both genders are equally as vulnerable to experiencing criminal activities and victimization, it isn’t unreasonable to say that crime dramas have subconsciously helped women prepare against possible crimes. Through watching these shows, they become more knowledgeable about defending themselves and how to recognize what may be abusive relationships or dangerous situations. Even if crime dramas are fictional, it can serve as the basis for many women when it comes to defending themselves or even those around them, thus their interest in these kinds of shows.
Crime Dramas Accompany The Crime-Related News That People Are Fed With
It is safe to assume that a lot of people watch or read the news, whether that’s through traditional means like the TV or newspapers, or through the internet. And while the medium for receiving news has changed, crimes or criminals are still given such wide and extended coverage to feed the audience’s curiosity. This can be especially true for crimes involving highly popular personalities.
Because of this, people have become even more curious and fascinated about crime. Through the media, people want to know more about how and why these crimes happened, as well as about those who committed them. For instance, there are around 10 movies and TV shows about Ted Bundy, a famous serial killer who murdered at least 30 women in the 1970s. Watching crime dramas brings more than just your typical news coverage as the former can be more in-depth, providing different perspectives and viewpoints that regular media coverage may have missed.
Conclusion
Everywhere you look, there are stories, both real and fictional, about crimes. With crime documentaries, people’s questions about why crimes happen and how they happen can be answered. For some, it also serves as an emotional breather. Watching crime dramas isn’t so much so about learning how to defy the law and contemplating how to actually commit a crime. It’s more about feeding people’s imaginations and having their questions answered when it comes to the events leading up to a crime, and after it.