True crime has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment, but what happens when our brains spend hours immersed in stories of murder, kidnapping, violence, and betrayal? In this episode of Life Lived Better, Joseph and Paula explore why we’re so fascinated by true crime and what repeated exposure to frightening stories may do to our perception of the world. From morbid curiosity and the availability heuristic they examine the line between being informed about danger and beginning to expect it everywhere.

The conversation also tackles the ethics of turning real human suffering into entertainment, the potential for both empathy and desensitization, and the binge-worthy storytelling techniques that keep us clicking “next episode.” Rather than arguing that people should stop watching true crime, our co-hosts encourage listeners to pay attention to how the content affects them before, during, and after they consume it. Ultimately, the question isn’t whether true crime is inherently “good” or “bad,” but whether what we repeatedly put into our minds is changing how we experience our lives and the people around us.

Questions? If you have questions, you would like Joseph and Paula to address during an upcoming episode of Questions for Counselors, feel free to reach out through the website at www.lifelivedbetter.net or email them directly at Info@lifelivedbetter.net

Just a reminder - Anything shared during this and all other episodes is based on personal experiences and opinions. It is not to be viewed as professional counseling or advice - it is solely our opinion. Information shared does not represent our employers or profession.

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And remember, Knowledge leads to a Life Lived Better.

Resources used to create this episode:

Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases - PubMed

Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency - Healthy Sleep Habits | NHLBI, NIH

The Scary World Syndrome: News Orientations, Negativity Bias, and the Cultivation of Anxiety