Why Do Women Love True Crime? My Thoughts

Why Do Women Love True Crime More Than Men?  Here is My Theory

As I attended a local networking event, a female-let’s call her Grace-said she is infatuated with true crime television shows.  As a prior police officer, I do not find these shows all that entertaining.  After all, they are for entertainment.  They are not real crime. 

Regardless, she emphatically recalled many shows she has spent countless hours watching these shows.  I started thinking, why do women watch these shows?

It is true, women make up a larger portion of the audience. When it comes to stories of survival, psychology thrillers and justice women are drawn to these types of story lines.

Some may consider true crime shows are more about “survival education.”  For example, each story involves a shadowing of the suspect’s behavior.  These sinister behaviors are easily identified as Red Flags to the viewer.  If each of these shows were a training session, victimhood should be reduced.  I don’t know about that angle.

Our conversation went along these lines which I found interesting.

Psychology Is Addictive

True crime dives into the darkest corners of the human mind. And women are often drawn to the "why" behind the crime. What turns someone into a killer? How does manipulation work? How did the victim trust them?

There’s a reason shows like Mindhunter and You have huge female fan bases.  They blend crime with psychology, and that combo is magnetic.

I dug out some of my old papers on this subject where I came across the theory of Emotional Arousal.  The idea is that fear and adrenaline can intensify romantic attraction.  A bizarre blend of entertainment and intimacy combines the public spectacle of a known horrific crime with moral overtones. 

It sounds made up, but public executions were major social events.  The book called The Hanging Tree: Execution and the English People describes the flirting and courtship that happened at these executions.

In fact, Michigan became the first English-speaking government in the world to outlaw capital punishment.  The last person to be executed was Stephen Gifford Simmons for killing his wife. 

“Grace” repeatedly stated, “it is always the husband!”

Empathy and Justice

Women often relate deeply with the victims.  There is a sense of shared vulnerability with a flare of resiliency that can turn a victim into a hero.  This type of heroic behavior can feel personal as justice unfolds.  It may feel slightly empowering as the victim survives a brutal attack of serial killer.  Or the closure of a killer getting “the book thrown at them.”

Good Storytelling

Let’s face it.  We all like good scary movies.  Make-believe villains like Jason and Freddie always get what they deserve in the end.  In real life, the true suspects get caught and we don’t have worry about them respawning to haunt our dreams.

We find comfort in that.