In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Coltan Scrivner about morbid curiosity. They define curiosity and morbid curiosity along with the origins of morbid curiosity with critiques on terror management theory and negative trait bias. They discuss state vs. trait morbid curiosity and how morbid curiosity correlates with personality. They talk about his measure of morbid curiosity, what factors he found, and why he used factor analysis. They engage on horror films and why many people are invested in this genre. They also talk about the potential clinical implications and challenges that horror could have on disorders such as anxiety and many other topics.
Coltan Scrivner is a PhD Candidate and researcher at the University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Human Development and a Fellow at the Institute for Mind and Biology. His research areas are on horror, and morbid curiosity and why people find enjoyment in fictionally dangerous scenarios. You can find all of his articles and popular writing at his website. Twitter: @morbidpsych