So, what is it about true crime that fascinates people? Virginia Tech professor Ingrid Johnson mentioned several theories. In her interview with the university publication, she noted a “primal human desire for violence” that is somehow fulfilled through these stories.
The “primal desire” for violence likely explains the fanaticism that some people have with the likes of Bundy and Ramirez, both of whom have had their fair share of admirers while incarcerated. It’s similar to fans of the mob genre rooting for Tony Soprano, which, according to cultural analyst Dr. Margaret King, is a part of human nature.
“Transgression is part of our nature,” Dr. King told The Caveman DNA. Without it, we would not be able to do anything contrary to the mainstream order, including invention and innovation.
Dr. King went so far as to say that crime can also disrupt the present state of affairs, which has its advantages.
“We think of crime as destructive,” Dr. King said. “But it is also a creative force in challenging the status quo and breaking new ground in every field of endeavor.”
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Women make up a large portion of true crime fans. According to a 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center, 44% of American podcast listeners of the genre are female, compared to 23% who tune in who are men.
According to Johnson, many scholars suggest a connection between a woman’s general fears about her safety and listening to true crime as a means to inform herself about potential dangers.
Some women even use a true crime podcast to help them fall asleep. According to one fan named Shanda Gimson, most narrators of these podcasts have a “calm, comforting voice” that helps soothe her into dozing off.
“I find that easier to fall asleep to than if I’m listening to an upbeat podcast,” she told CNBC.
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For Gimson, the mysteries involved in true crime stories allow her to do her own detective work while listening, which she considers a mental exercise. At the same time, it increased her fascination for human behavior and how the law works.
“There’s definitely a research part of it that I find super interesting,” she said, adding that she would want to be a criminal lawyer if she had the chance to restart her career.
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