There's a worrying reason behind why some people enjoy watching true crime to relax, psychologist warns

A psychologist has explained why there are so many fans of the true crime genre.

Particularly, the mental health expert has spoken about the reason why people watch TV and film in the genre as a way to relax.

It may sound completely ridiculous to some, but an alarming amount of people choose to put a true crime documentary on after a long, stressful day to unwind.

What happened to a bit of Friends or The Office?

It turns out that willingly wanting to watch real crime stories regularly could be a major red flag, regardless of how fascinating you may find it all.

You may think that it could have something to do with being a psychopath, but luckily, this isn't the case, though traits around the condition have been highlighted more online recently.

If your first instinct after getting home is to put a crime series on, it may be the sign of something more serious (Getty Stock Image)

One thing you should be thinking if you watch true crime to relax

Appearing as a guest on The Mel Robbins Podcast back in 2023, mental health expert Dr Thema Bryant explained how people may want to heal themselves after going through hardships or trauma.

Apparently, there's a specific reason behind people willingly choosing to view violent media regularly.

Dr Bryant pointed out: “If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is to watch three episodes of Law and Order, [then] I would encourage you to think about 'why is trauma relaxing to me'?"

It turns out that this may have something to do with your mental wellbeing.

What does this actually mean?

In a clip that was shared on TikTok at the time, the psychologist went on and pointed out that due to the 'high stress' situations that some of us may have gone through in out childhoods, some would 'mistake peace for boring'.

"To come home to yourself you have to lean into the discomfort because it’s gonna feel unfamiliar," Dr Bryant explained.

There's a reason why all the true crime series released on streaming platforms perform so well (Netflix)

Why do so many people like true crime?

Dr Elizabeth Jeglic is a Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the expert revealed why trauma survivors gravitate towards true crime stories.

Speaking to Crime Reads, the clinical psychologist explained: "Anecdotally, some people are drawn to the study of psychology to understand themselves and heal themselves."

She added that 'people are drawn' to the subject of psychology, as a way to heal and understand themselves.

Dr Jeglic pointed out: "We have many people in psychology programs who have a history of active mental illness."

The professor said that at the same time, 'people who have a history of trauma' might enjoy true crime so they can 're-experience those traumatic situations in a safe environment where they have more control'.

So it turns out that the cultural craze behind true crime titles has a very good, scientific reason behind it.