Several people love watching true crime shows. Narcos and Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story are some popular true crime shows, and of late, interest in shows of this genre has been increasing. However, a US psychologist has said that watching true crime shows as a means of relaxation is a red flag, The Mirror reported, citing a podcast. Dr Thema Bryant, a clinical psychologist and 2023 president of the American Psychological Association, told US television presenter Mel Robbins in The Mel Robbins Podcast that if one's idea of relaxing before going to sleep is watching a true crime show, she would encourage the person to think about why trauma is relaxing them.
"If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is watching three episodes of Law & Order, I would encourage you to think about 'Why is trauma relaxing to me?'... That's what it is. I mean it's harm, crime, violation, attacks, and that's what is going to soothe me into my bedtime," Dr Bryant told Robbins in the podcast.
Robbins asked Dr Bryant what answer people give the latter about that connection when they go into therapy. Dr Bryant replied that they say it is normal and familiar. She said the people would say: "Some of us grew up in high stress."
Dr Bryant said that people mistake peace for boring, and they feel that peace is a discomfort because it is going to feel unfamiliar.
A Mirror report said that the clip in which Dr Bryant was speaking to Mel Robbins was posted by the latter on her TikTok account. Several people shared in the comment section of the post the reasons why they watch such shows.
According to the report, one user wrote that the trauma is not relaxing to them, but it is the justice the characters or real people often get that the person never did in their own life. Another person wrote that these shows distract them from the pain they are feeling in their life. While they do not like the show, it just redirects their anger.
One commentator wrote that for them, watching these shows is like solving the crime or puzzle.
However, some commentators agreed to what Dr Bryant said, and wrote that they had lost interest in true crime shows ever since they started going to therapy and healing from their trauma.
A user wrote that constantly feeding one's subconscious mind graphic content does affect their mood and mindset, and it is impossible to heal that way, according to an article published on Lad Bible, a British website.
A person wrote that they used to watch a lot of chaos on television, but after working hard on themselves for the past two years, they just could not watch such things anymore.
Another person wrote that what Dr Bryant said was an "eye-opener", and now that they have been healing for over a year, such shows are not even interesting to them.