There’s a TikTok trend that’s been going around for a while. Attempting to describe how women get cozy and calm for sleep, men will parody a documentary-style voice describing a horrific event. In a variation on the trend, a pajama-clad woman snuggles into her bed and then falls asleep to a true crime podcast or show.
The first layer of the joke is obvious: It’s wild that many women seemingly find traumatic stories comforting. The next few layers are a bit more complex—like the fact that some psychiatry research reveals that watching crime shows can help trauma victims face their disturbing memories and find empowerment over them.
However, writes Lara d’Entremont in “How True Crime Can Create a False Reality,” such content can have a distorting effect as well. Citing mental health professionals, d’Entremont explains that consuming true crime stories can alter our sense of danger and safety, rendering us prone to hypervigilance, anxiety, and depression.
So how should we handle real-world horror stories? “Christians should encourage each other to pursue wisdom and discernment according to their own tolerance levels,” says d’Entremont. She calls Christians to be “conscious consumers not only for our own sake but also for the sake of being sensitive and sympathetic toward those around us.”
As we discern which entertainment options work for us, may we do so with a commitment to showing kindness to ourselves and those around us.
