Several Top 20 podcasts, Netflix documentaries, books and TV shows point towards an obsession with crime stories that are based on reality.
The charismatic appeal of a murderer and the insane popularity of the true-crime ‘genre’ has been noted by many experts.
Serial killers like Ted Bunty are now the unlikely, strangely charismatic stars in various documentaries and podcasts, which cover their murderous adventures in detail.
Why do we love to watch scary horror films? Some psychologists claim people go to horror films because they want to be frightened or they wouldn't do it twice. You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. But what else does the literature tell us about the psychology of horror movies?
Gore watchers typically have low empathy, high sensation seeking, and a strong identification with the killer.
Thrill watchers typically have both high empathy and sensation seeking;they identify themselves more with the victims and like the suspense of the film.
Independent watchers typically have a high empathy for the victim along with a high positive effect for overcoming fear.
Problem watchers typically have high empathy for the victim but are characterized by negative effect (particularly a sense of helplessness).
Dr. Carl Jung believed horror films “tapped into primordial archetypes buried deep in our collective subconscious – images like shadow and mother play important role in the horror genre”.
Horror films are watched as a way of purging negative emotions and/or as a way to relieve pent-up aggression.
Horror movies are enjoyed because the people on screen getting killed deserve it.
Cultural historian David Skal has argued that horror films simply reflect our societal fears.
Zen has a rich tradition of storytelling. Actually, just about the entire human race has a rich history of storytelling. Why do we like stories so much? Because we can identify with them. Stories, whether real or not, pull and tug at our emotions. We connect personally with stories.
During a Q&A session a student said to master Roshi he’d been listening to his lectures for years but couldn't understand. So he asked Roshi to reduce Buddhism to one phrase. "Everything cha...
A university professor researching Zen sought master Nan-in, who served him tea. Nan-in poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
“Like this cup,” Nan-in said,“you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
A farmer was consoled by his neighbors who claimed it was bad luck his horse ran away. The farmer replied “Maybe.” The horse returned with more horses, so his neighbors said it was luck. The farmer said “Maybe.” Later a horse broke his son leg and the neighbors said it was a misfortune. The farmer said “Maybe.” The next day his son escaped conscription thanks to his broken leg and the neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. The farmer said “Maybe.”
Time goes on and good and bad are two sides of the same coin. Being aware of this allows us to find peace and happiness.
"Patient Five" was in his late 50s when a trip to the doctors changed his life. He had diabetes, and he had signed up for a study to see if taking a "statin" - a kind of cholesterol-lowering drug - might help. So far, so normal.
There’s emerging evidence that ordinary medications - from paracetamol to antihistamines, statins, asthma medications, and antidepressants - can change our brains. They can make us impulsive...
People with lower cholesterol levels are more likely to die violent deaths.
If you put primates on a low-cholesterol diet, they become more aggressive. Lowering animals’ cholesterol seems to affect their levels of serotonin. Even fruit flies start fighting if you interfere with their serotonin levels.
Studies have linked serotonin levels in people to violence, impulsivity, suicide, and murder.
In a randomized controlled trial, statins were found to increase aggression in post-menopausal women though, oddly, not in men. Giving statins to Nile tilapia made them more confrontational and altered the levels of serotonin in their brains.