Interest in death and difficult events manifests itself in both traditions and everyday activities: some celebrate Halloween, some go to museums dedicated to historical disasters, and some listen to podcasts about the most brutal crimes.
Scientists from the UK and Slovenia have figured out why people are attracted to dark stories and events.
All people encounter death in one way or another: pets, relatives, idols. Some are diagnosed with a serious illness, some witness a catastrophe.
Regardless of the nature of the experience associated with life-threatening and dark events, a person, as a rule, seeks to learn more about such phenomena. For example, according to one of the recent studies, there is a need for children’s literature that, with the help of characters close to the reader’s age, would tell about death in an accessible and honest way.
Researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK and the University of Primorska in Slovenia have identified factors that determine people’s interest in difficult events. They took a comprehensive approach, drawing on thanatology (the study of death and related practices), the concept of collective memory, and an analysis of so-called dark tourism, which involves visiting places and attractions historically associated with death and tragedy. The corresponding scientific article was published in the journal Annals of Tourism Research.
