We know the names of serial killers, but not their victims. We know the details of infamous murders and mention to our friends how we would have avoided the same brutality others have faced. Is our fascination with true crime changing how safe we feel?
There is something to be said about listening to the details of a gruesome murder while sipping on your morning latte. For many of us, this is a typical part of our routine.
We listen to true crime podcasts on long drives, casually watch Dateline while folding laundry, and fall asleep to YouTube videos detailing the final moments of someone’s life. Somewhere along the way, the stories of horrific violence became an oddly comforting form of entertainment.
As a student studying criminology and psychology, I’ve spent a significant amount of my college education studying crime, victimization and all the factors that influence criminal behavior. Outside of the classroom, I find myself consuming the same subject matter in an entirely different context – as entertainment.
I’ve started to wonder if the immense amount of true crime we consume is changing the way we perceive crime itself. After all, when every podcast introduces another serial killer, and every documentary follows another murderous cult leader, it’s easy to forget that the crimes receiving the most attention aren’t necessarily the crimes we will experience.
What makes us so obsessed with true crime?
For some people, it’s the mystery of it all. For others, it’s a desire to understand the minds of unthinkable criminals. But for many women, some researchers suggest that the fascination may be rooted in something more personal: safety.
A study published by a group of British researchers found that women reported greater true crime consumption than men, and were more likely to cite defensive vigilance as a motive for their consumption. To restate this, some women aren’t necessarily watching true crime because they love hearing about violence; they’re watching because they want to understand it, anticipate it and learn how to avoid becoming victims themselves. I understand that. So, when does being informed about worst-case scenarios start making them seem inevitable?
The Availability Heuristic
Something that has stuck with me from my cognitive psychology lecture is the idea of the availability heuristic, which describes our tendency to decide how likely something is based on how easily examples of it come to mind.
For example, if listening to podcasts about kidnappings, disappearances, and murders is part of your daily routine, these scenarios may easily jump to the forefront of your mind while you’re walking back to your car at night. Your risk of victimization has not increased, but your perception of it has.
When talking about true crime, cultivation theory is also incredibly relevant. This theory explores how repeated exposure to media can shape our understanding of reality. Within this theory, mean world syndrome refers to the tendency to perceive the world as more dangerous after prolonged exposure to violent media.
These theories weren’t originally developed with true crime podcasts in mind, and they cannot prove that watching crime documentaries automatically makes someone more wary. Even so, they offer an interesting perspective backed by psychological research on our relationship with this genre of media.Â
What do the statistics tell us?
The FBI’s 2025 crime statistics report that the estimated national violent crime rate decreased by almost 10% from 2024 to 2025. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses decreased by almost 20%. Meanwhile, the vast world of true crime content remains readily available, with countless stories of victimization that warp our perception of crime just a scroll away.
Of course, a national decrease in reported violent crime does not mean crime has disappeared or that everyone’s experiences of safety are the same. Victimization is a serious concern, especially for women, and national statistics only provide a generalized overview of risks.Â
True crime documentaries are designed more to tell compelling stories rather than to provide a representative picture of criminal behavior. The most unusual, disturbing and sensational cases make the best content. Many of us are probably able to rattle off the names of several notorious serial killers without thinking twice about the broader patterns of violence, victimization, or the circumstances under which most crimes occur.
When our understanding of crime comes primarily from its most extreme, sensationalized examples, our perception of individual risk can become disconnected from the bigger picture.
Is true crime making us feel safer or more afraid?
Let me make this clear: there is nothing inherently wrong with being interested in true crime. Actually, I think the genre can encourage the most important conversations about victim advocacy, investigations, wrongful convictions and the intricacies and flaws of the justice system.
For women in particular, these efforts to understand potential threats are not irrational or unnecessary whatsoever.
Even so, there is a difference between being informed about safety and feeling as though danger is inevitable. Research has started looking into these connections, but determining whether true crime increases fear, or vice versa, requires careful study. We can consume the same stories for a multitude of different reasons, and it can greatly impact how we see the world.
I don’t think the goal should be to stop watching true crime. Our goal should be to recognize the difference between entertainment, education, and an accurate understanding of risk. Listening to a hundred stories about murder does not mean we understand how common it is. We’re beginning to confuse the crimes we hear the most about with the crimes we are most likely to experience.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a scary world out there, especially for women. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with consuming content to feel prepared for the worst. There is a line that must be drawn between being informed and allowing constant exposure to worst-case scenarios shape how we perceive the world around us. Stay safe, ladies!