According to evolutionary psychologists, in order to survive in premodern times, humans developed a disproportionate attentiveness toward potential threats. The reason we instinctually pay more attention to the blood and gore of a rotting corpse on the ground than to marveling at the beautiful sky above is that the former was what helped us survive. In other words, we evolved to pay keen attention to potential threats. There’s a good reason you can’t turn away from grisly videos: You’re human.
