Love gore and horror, the dark and scary? There’s a scientific reason why.

True crime, horror movies, even haunted houses — psychologist Coltan Scrivner says they all tap into a survival instinct. He explains how morbid curiosity evolved to help humans face threats and why those drawn to darkness might be more compassionate than we think. Episode transcript available here . Have feedback on the show? Please send us an email at podcasts@usatoday.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .