The Morbid Curiosity Scale
Coltan Scrivner

Please cite the “Psychology of Morbid Curiosity” paper if you use this scale in your
research. The preprint can be found at https://psyarxiv.com/xug34/.

Responses are on a 6-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The letter in
parentheses following each statement indicates which subscale the question belongs to
and should not be included in the statements that participants see (B = body violation, V
= violence, M = Motives of dangerous people, and S = Supernatural Danger). To
calculate trait morbid curiosity, simply average the responses.

Instructions:
Please report how much you agree or disagree with the following statements.
There are no right or wrong answers, just answer honestly and with your gut
reaction.

1. If I lived in Medieval Europe, I would be interested in attending a public execution. (V)
2. If a head transplant was possible, I would want to watch the procedure. (B)
3. I am curious about crime and enjoy reading detailed news accounts about murders
and other violent crimes. (M)
4. I think the supernatural is an interesting topic. (S)
5. If I lived in Ancient Rome, I would be interested in attending a gladiatorial fight. (V)
6. I would be curious to see how an autopsy is performed. (B)

 7. I would be interested in watching a documentary on motives behind real murders. (M)
8. I would be interested in attending or watching a video of an exorcism. (S)
9. If I saw a street fight break out, and knew I could not intervene, I would try to watch it.
(V)
10. I am interested in seeing how limb amputation works. (B)
11. My favorite part of a crime show is learning about why the killer did what he did. (M)
12. I find the Occult interesting. (S)
13. I would be curious enough to watch a duel if I lived in the Wild West. (V)
14. I would like to see how bodies are prepared for funerals. (B)
15. I would be interested in watching an interview with an imprisoned serial killer talking
about his crimes. (M)
16. A documentary on Voodoo would interest me. (S)
17. I prefer violent movies and TV shows to be uncensored. (V)
18. I think the preservation of bodies, like in taxidermy or mummification, is interesting.
(B)
19. Being a criminal profiler who studies the personality of murderers would be an
interesting job. (M)
20. I am curious how a Ouija board works. (S)
21. I am curious what a battle looked like in the Middle Ages. (V)
22. I am curious what the deadliest toxin in the world would do to the body. (B)
23. I am curious about the minds of violent people. (M)
24. I think witchcraft would be an interesting topic to learn about. (S)