Why We’re Drawn to Death, Crime, & Danger - Coltan Scrivner

Go see Chris live in America - https://chriswilliamson.live Coltan Scrivner is a behavioral scientist, an expert on morbid curiosity in horror and true‑crime media, and an author. Why are humans so curious about death? From car accidents to scary stories, roller coasters, and horror movies, some people are fascinated while others are repulsed. What draws us toward the very things we should naturally want to avoid? Expect to learn why humans are drawn to dark or morbid content and the evolutionary logic behind watching something that disturbs us, why there is a gender gap of who is more interested in morbid curiosity, why some people find serial killers fascinating while others are repulsed, the biggest differences between terror and horror & the connection between disgust and fascination, what horror can teach us about emotional self-regulation, and much more… 0:00 Why are We Drawn to Dark Content? 7:20 The 4 Domains of Morbid Curiosity 15:25 Morbid Curiosity in Evolution 22:51 Individual Difference in Morbid Curiosity 34:05 What is So Attractive About Serial Killers? 37:46 Why are Certain Groups Attracted to Certain Types of Morbid Content? 47:17 The Perfect Ingredients for a Horror Movie 57:14 Why is There Increasing Desensitisation to Morbid Content? 01:02:59 Find Out More About Colton - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostColtan Scrivnerguest

Aug 23, 20251h 3mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 23, 2025
Duration: 1h 3m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Go see Chris live in America - https://chriswilliamson.live Coltan Scrivner is a behavioral scientist, an expert on morbid curiosity in horror and true‑crime media, and an author. Why are humans so curious about death? From car accidents to scary stories, roller coasters, and horror movies, some people are fascinated while others are repulsed. What draws us toward the very things we should naturally want to avoid? Expect to learn why humans are drawn to dark or morbid content and the evolutionary logic behind watching something that disturbs us, why there is a gender gap of who is more interested in morbid curiosity, why some people find serial killers fascinating while others are repulsed, the biggest differences between terror and horror & the connection between disgust and fascination, what horror can teach us about emotional self-regulation, and much more… 0:00 Why are We Drawn to Dark Content? 7:20 The 4 Domains of Morbid Curiosity 15:25 Morbid Curiosity in Evolution 22:51 Individual Difference in Morbid Curiosity 34:05 What is So Attractive About Serial Killers? 37:46 Why are Certain Groups Attracted to Certain Types of Morbid Content? 47:17 The Perfect Ingredients for a Horror Movie 57:14 Why is There Increasing Desensitisation to Morbid Content? 01:02:59 Find Out More About Colton - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Coltan Scrivner
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Coltan Scrivner, Why We’re Drawn to Death, Crime, & Danger - Coltan Scrivner explores why Morbid Curiosity Helps Us Learn From Danger, Not Just Gawk Coltan Scrivner explains how he became a researcher of morbid curiosity and why humans are uniquely drawn to threats, violence, and dark content from a safe distance.

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