Morbid curiosity and its personality correlates: A psycholexical perspective

Morbid curiosity refers to a stable tendency to engage with aversive, threatening, or taboo stimuli, yet its psychological correlates remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated the associations between morbid curiosity, personality traits, impulsivity, and human values in a Brazilian sample. A total of 367 undergraduate students completed measures of morbid curiosity, dark and prosocial traits, impulsivity, and basic human values. Correlational analyses and hierarchical regressions indicated that morbid curiosity was positively associated with dark personality traits - particularly psychopathy - and impulsivity, and negatively associated with prosocial traits such as forgiveness. Regarding motivational values, experimentation and suprapersonal values were positively related to morbid curiosity, whereas interactive values showed a negative association. Impulsivity emerged as a central predictor, suggesting that self-regulatory processes may facilitate the behavioral expression of morbid curiosity. Together, these findings conceptualize morbid curiosity as a multidetermined construct shaped by dispositional, motivational, and self-regulatory factors, extending previous accounts beyond sensation seeking and highlighting its relevance for understanding individual differences in engagement with violent or taboo content.