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MYSTERY novel nerds think their fantastical reads have real-life benefits – including tips to solve a murder case.
A survey of 2,000 horror, mystery, thriller, and true crime readers found that 61% believe they have what it takes to unravel a real-world mystery plot.
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But, only four in 10 (41%) are confident they’d survive the plot of a horror novel and live to tell the tale.
Interestingly, men were significantly more confident in their survival skills compared to women (51% vs. 37%).
Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by ThriftBooks, the research investigated all things related to the spooky genre: Plot-come-to-life scenarios, favorite spooky books and even safety best practices gleaned from reading the genre.
When asked which character stereotype they identify with, one in four (26%) identified as the sidekick character and 12% said they’d most likely be the victim in a scary book.
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Unabashedly, more than one in 10 (13%) reported they’d be the villain and only 45% believe they have what it takes to be the hero or detective in a spooky book.
Looking closer at villains, this time in the real world, 68% said that they can tell if someone is a “bad” person simply by the vibes they give off.
Women were more likely to report this compared to men (70% vs 61%).
And more than half of readers (51%) said someone in their everyday routine fits the mold of a villian from a spooky novel.
Looking at who actually matches the stereotype, the most common answer was a neighbor (44%).
Shockingly (or maybe not), the second most common answer was a family member (31%).
Uncovering how reading scary books has made a lasting impact on respondents, 68% reported that they’ve adopted safer habits after reading the genre.
These include not sharing personal info with strangers (63%), not answering calls or texts from unfamiliar numbers (62%), not posting their location on social media (52%), and never posting any personal info on the internet (51%).
Readers said they feel a combination of sensations after reading a scary book such as feeling energized (29%), afraid (28%) and even wary of strangers (22%).
More than half (54%) also admitted they’re more easily startled after reading a scary novel.
And it takes two days, on average, for these feelings to subside after reading a haunting book.
Thirty-three percent have slept with the lights on after a chilling read, 21% have checked under the bed, and 20% have even refused to answer the door when the doorbell rang after finishing a spooky read.
“It’s interesting and so relatable to see all the things we’ve done after reading a scary book,” said Barbara Hagen, vice president of sales and marketing at ThriftBooks.
“Who hasn’t slept with the lights on after reading a terrifying book?
“It’s also interesting, even informative, to see what safety habits spooky readers pick up.
“The scary book genre is a lot at once: Chilling, energizing and enthralling. It’s no wonder it’s such a popular genre.”
Readers, on average, reported picking up their first hair-raising book at age 12. After that, 60% said they were immediately addicted to the genre.
And it turns out, younger generations are more easily addicted to the genre: More Gen Z (73%), millennials (76%) and even Gen X respondents (72%) said they were immediately hooked on scary books after reading their first one compared to baby boomer respondents (45%).
Popular gateway scary books, according to the survey, include Carrie, Dracula, Frankenstein, Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
When asked about their all-time favorite scary reads, readers cited books including: Goosebumps, It, Pet Sematary, Silence of the Lambs, The Exorcist, The Shining and The Stand.
It’s no surprise then that Stephen King (68%) was the most popular answer by a landslide across all generations when respondents were asked about their favorite horror authors.
“If you haven’t already this year, we encourage readers to pick up a scary book,” said Hagen.
“Whether it’s a repeat read or a new one, there’s no better time of year to get into the genre.”
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