love a good true-crime binge? same. here’s why anxious brains find it oddly calming (and how to make it work for you)

I’ve noticed a pattern with anxious folks (me included): we gravitate to true crime and, when we venture into horror, we prefer smart psychological thrillers over splattery gore. Why? Two big reasons:

1. it grabs our full attention, so the hamster-wheel thoughts finally stop.

2. it feels like research; a rehearsal for worst-case scenarios so we’re not blindsided if life gets weird.

Turns out, there’s decent science behind both.

The anxious brain is built for threat-tracking

Anxiety tunes our attention system toward possible danger; a fast, automatic “threat bias.” That’s the amygdala (The emotional alarm centre) and friends saying, “heads up!” so we scan, predict, and prepare. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also adaptive: vigilance can keep us safe. Reviews in clinical neuroscience have mapped this bias and the brain circuits involved. (PMC)

True crime as “mental dress rehearsal”

Psychologist Amanda Vicary’s work shows a strong draw to true crime, especially among women, partly because it offers survival tips and insight into dangerous situations; the exact “research” impulse many of us feel. (amandavicary.com)

Horror/thriller fans often cope better (seriously)

During COVID, people who already enjoyed horror and “prepper” genres (apocalyptic, zombie, etc.) showed greater psychological resilience and even better preparedness. The idea: repeated, controlled exposure to fictional threat trains our nervous system and expectations; a kind of low-stakes simulator that builds coping scripts. (PMC)

Morbid curiosity isn’t broken, it’s informative

Coltan Scrivner’s research on morbid curiosity suggests some of us are more motivated to learn about threat and uncertainty. Those higher in morbid curiosity are more likely to choose media where threat is central (hello, psychological thrillers); not because we’re “dark,” but because we’re learning. (ScienceDirect)

The SciWoo layer: nervous system + energy work

In my world, we blend lab-coat science with a side of woo:

• Threat simulation (science): your brain predicts, tests, and updates models of “what if.” Over time, exposure + reflection can help the prefrontal cortex down-regulate fear responses; the same circuitry used in exposure therapy and fear extinction research. (ScienceDirect)

• Energetic rehearsal (woo): your field learns patterns too. When you watch with intention; “show me what to notice, not what to fear”, you’re training attention and signalling your guides/higher self to file useful cues (route choices, red flags, de-escalation moves) without soaking in panic.

• Co-regulation ritual: pair heavier shows with grounding (box breathing, feet on the floor, a hand over heart). You’re teaching your system: “we can look at darkness and stay resourced.”

  
  

How I watch (true crime > gore; thrillers > splatter)

I mostly watch true crime. When I go scarier, I choose psychological thrillers; tension, character, cognition; over blood-and-guts. That fits the research too: it’s the pattern-spotting and planning that feel satisfying, not shock for shock’s sake. (Scrivner even notes gore often functions as an index of the threat, but the learning happens in the model-building our brains do while we watch.) (American Psychological Association)

A quick guide to watching intentionally (Anxiety-friendly)

• Set an intention: “I’m here to learn cues, not to marinate in fear.”

• Pick format wisely: true crime or intelligent thrillers if you’re a “researcher”; skip torture-porn if you’re a sponge.

• Contain it: 1 episode, then a palate cleanser (short comedy, a tidy-up, shower).

• Ground the body: box breathing 4-4-4-4 before and after; magnesium or chamomile tea if that suits your body.

• Debrief: jot 3 practical takeaways (“lock side gate,” “share live location when ridesharing,” “trust stomach-drop moments”).

• Close the loop: brief gratitude/white-light visualisation; tell your system “threat simulation complete.”

When your body “feels” what you watch

Your brain and body experience stories as if they’re real.

When you watch true crime or intense scenes, your nervous system releases adrenaline and cortisol, activating genuine stress responses.

This is called embodied simulation; your brain’s mirror neurons light up as though you’re living what you see (Gallese, 2005, Trends in Cognitive Sciences).

If you feel relieved or grounded afterwards, that’s healthy; your body learns it can face fear and return to calm.

But if you’re left tense, uneasy, or drained, your cells are signalling overload.

As neuroscientist Candace Pert found, emotions are carried through the body via neuropeptides, so repeated stress can affect you at a cellular level (Pert, Molecules of Emotion, 1997).

When it’s not helping

• You’re more hypervigilant after watching (trouble sleeping, jumpy startle, intrusive thoughts).

• You’re dissociating or doom-spiralling.

• You feel compelled to consume more even though you feel worse.

If that’s you, pause the genre and swap to cosy mysteries or gentle whodunnits that still feed curiosity but let your system recover.

Fear circuits that never fully “extinguish” can sensitise, meaning your body starts reacting to imagined threats as if they’re real (PMC).

The goal isn’t to avoid fear altogether; it’s to practice regulated exposure, not overwhelm.

tl;dr

Anxious brains are built to track threat, and curated true crime/psych thrillers can feel like attention relief + survival research. Used intentionally; with grounding and a SciWoo mindset, they can train both your nervous system and your energetic field to recognise red flags without living in fear.

Further reading (sciencey bits):

• Threat-attention biases & anxiety neurocircuitry. (PMC)

• Morbid curiosity & why threat-based media appeals. (ScienceDirect)

• Horror/“prepper” fans and resilience in crises. (PMC)

• True-crime interest as survival rehearsal. (amandavicary.com)

• Fear extinction & prefrontal regulation (therapy parallels). (ScienceDirect)