ABSTRACT
Have you ever wondered why people go out of their way to watch when someone is hurt or injured? Consider the following instances. We often see car drivers slow down their cars to see what has happened in the accident on the opposite carriageway. Why do people behave in this way? This fascination may be explained by us not wanting to see one of our species injured and we are concerned to see that they will survive. But look at it another way. Why is it when two children fight in a school playground we see a huddle of other children immediately form around them, desperate to watch? Is this because they want to see if one survives the ordeal? I think not. It is much more likely that they want to see one child getting injured in some way, to know which child is dominant. We watch a strange mixture of television programmes too. Real-life situations where people have survived against the odds have become very popular recently but then we also watch violent films and sports involving aggressive behaviour.
