To Sociologists and others who may know...?

Question

What is it that accounts for morbid curiosity, i.e. case in point, why do people do such things as stare at others misery? [inspired by an incident yesterday in front of my apts. where there was a motor vehicle accident and everyone for about a block came out of their places of businesses, their homes, etc. to gawk at the people's misfortune in this unfortunate incident....I found the behavior of the gawkers disgusting and so do I when people block up MILES of traffic on freeways to "bottle neck gawk" over wrecks on highways and freeways]...can someone please explain this phenomenon to me?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity

Read under "morbid curiosity"....unfortunately, although ugly, it is a natural human emotion....they can't help themselves....you probably are guilty of it yourself, Palladin, if you are honest with yourself....it's one of things about life you just have to accept and go on.

Answer 2

Good question, I think anything out of the norm will attract that same type of mass curiosity.