WHY ARE WE SO OBSESSED WITH TRUE CRIME?because they’re more prepared to
explore their own emotions and
emotional reactions. Therefore,
the rollercoaster that is a crime
story is something that they’re
prepared to explore and—if it’s
resolved—to some extent, enjoy.”
While a shocking story may
make our hairs stand up and our
human interest may be peaked at
a regaling of inhumanity, what if
it’s not the horror that keeps us
coming back, nor the wince we
feel upon hearing a disturbing tale?
Perhaps it’s the power, freedom
and the—slightly macabre—
schadenfreude that comes with
knowing... that they didn’t get us. nI
nterestingly, despite women
being the most targeted
demographic for violent crimes,
a 2010 study in Social Psychological
and Personality Science showed
that the true crime audience is
overwhelmingly female. There’s no
shortage of true crime podcasts to
choose from yet despite the majority
of overall listeners being male,
Westwood One Podcast Network
revealed men outnumber women
in every genre except storytelling;
which includes true crime.
“It’s a curious issue,” Canter
expands. “I suspect it’s because
women are trying to deal with
their anxiety more directly but also74 • JULY 2019SERIAL KILLERS ATTACK FIVE GROUPS OF PEOPLE
AND WOMEN DOMINATE FOUR OF THOSE GROUPS