It is my view that the fascination with bad news is a true instinct in humans, in that we do it automatically without knowing our true motives.
I think it is an instinct whose purpose is self-preservation. Anytime something bad or dangerous happens, it is to our benefit to learn from it. By observing these events, we store up knowledge which may be useful in saving our own lives someday.
Of course the instinct, though useful, is not rational. It doesn’t know which of the disasters and mishaps we witness may be relevant to our own lives in the future. We are fascinated by all of them, even totally unrealistic disasters in movies.
Understanding the purpose of this instinct, I think we can make better use of it.
If there is anything out of the ordinary, people want to hear about it. That is news that will seL.
