Hybristophilia: Study links TikTok to women’s sexual attraction to criminals

A new study has found a connection between young women’s engagement with certain TikTok content and their sexual attraction to criminals. The research, published in the journal Deviant Behavior, suggests that actively watching or liking videos that romanticize offenders is associated with higher levels of hybristophilia, a term for this specific attraction. The findings also indicate that personality traits like Machiavellianism and psychopathy are strong predictors of these tendencies.

Researchers, led by Emma Virginia Treggiaa of the University of Huddersfield, launched the investigation to address gaps in the understanding of this phenomenon. Previous work on hybristophilia often had a narrow scope, focusing on women already in relationships with convicted offenders and frequently excluding diverse sexualities and backgrounds. The team wanted to explore how this attraction might emerge in younger generations, specifically Generation Z, through their interactions on a widely used digital platform like TikTok.

The research was conducted in two parts. The first study was a content analysis of TikTok, where the team examined 66 videos and 91 comments posted between 2020 and 2024. They selected content that glorified or romanticized criminals, both real and fictional. Material that was educational, critical, or condemning of offenders was intentionally excluded to isolate content that might reflect or contribute to hybristophilic attitudes.

This analysis identified seven major themes in how young women discussed and portrayed offenders. One prominent theme was the halo effect, where an offender’s physical attractiveness appeared to bias users’ perceptions. Comments frequently minimized the severity of crimes committed by individuals who were considered conventionally attractive, sometimes suggesting they were “misunderstood” or even innocent based on their appearance.

A related pattern was identified as actor-offender transference. The study noted that attraction toward actors who portrayed infamous criminals, such as Zac Efron playing Ted Bundy or Evan Peters playing Jeffrey Dahmer, was often transferred to the real-life offenders. This sometimes led to genuine confusion among users, who would express attraction to an actor while believing they were referencing the actual criminal.

Another set of themes related to the emotional and psychological appeal of offenders. The study documented expressions of sympathy and a romanticization of traits associated with antisocial personality disorder. Fictional characters like Joe Goldberg from the show “You” were often described as ideal partners, despite their violent and manipulative behavior. Content also glorified themes of protection and loyalty, where possessive or violent actions were framed as expressions of deep devotion.

The analysis also highlighted a belief that love could reform a lawbreaker, a theme the researchers called “I Can Fix Him.” Users would express confidence that they could change an offender’s behavior, sometimes as a way to downplay the dangers of such a relationship. A different theme, termed Gen Z irony, involved using dark humor and sarcasm to discuss serious crimes. Comments like “Daddy” or “Smash” were used in reference to notorious killers, alongside jokes about their own attraction. Finally, a small number of users expressed what the study called a victim fantasy, revealing fantasies about being victimized by an attractive criminal.

To build on these observations, the second part of the research used a survey to gather direct data. This online survey involved 95 women between the ages of 18 and 27 who were frequent TikTok users. Participants answered questions about their exposure to and engagement with content romanticizing criminals. They also completed assessments to measure their own hybristophilia levels, empathy, and dark personality traits, specifically narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. For this, the team developed a new 20-item Hybristophilia Scale based on existing literature and the themes identified in the first study.

The survey results revealed a key distinction between exposure and engagement. Simply seeing this type of content appear on a user’s feed did not predict higher hybristophilia scores. However, a person’s level of active engagement, such as choosing to watch the videos rather than scrolling past or liking them, was a significant predictor. Higher levels of engagement were associated with higher scores on the hybristophilia scale.

The analysis of personality traits uncovered another strong connection. Higher scores in Machiavellianism, a trait linked to manipulation and a strategic mindset, predicted higher hybristophilia scores. Psychopathy, which involves characteristics like a lack of remorse, thrill-seeking, and impulsivity, also significantly predicted hybristophilia. In fact, psychopathy emerged as an even stronger predictor than Machiavellianism. In contrast, neither empathy nor narcissism showed a significant link to hybristophilic tendencies in the sample.

These findings are consistent with some earlier psychological research. The halo effect observed on TikTok, for example, aligns with studies showing that attractive defendants often receive more lenient treatment in legal settings. The connection between hybristophilia and traits like Machiavellianism is also supported by a 2014 study that identified a manipulative personality type among women in relationships with inmates, suggesting that an attraction to power and control may be a contributing factor. The use of dark humor found in the content analysis is also a well-documented coping mechanism for managing distressing or conflicting thoughts.

The authors acknowledge certain limitations in their work. The survey sample was primarily composed of participants from Western countries and included a small number of transgender women, which may affect how widely the findings can be applied. The content analysis was also limited to a specific number of videos and excluded critical commentary, which offers a one-sided view of the discourse surrounding offenders on the platform.

For future studies, the researchers suggest further validation of the new Hybristophilia Scale they developed, as it could become a useful tool for clinicians. They also recommend expanding research to include more diverse populations to create a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Additional research could explore the nuanced attitudes toward different types of crime and investigate the factors that might lead an individual from a passive attraction to a more aggressive pursuit of relationships with criminals.

The study, “Gen Z Hybristophilia: The Role of tiktok in Young Women’s Attraction to Deviant Men,” was authored by Emma Virginia Treggia, Maria Ioannou, Calli Tzani, David Lester, Lucas Rogers, Thomas James Vaughan Williams, John Synnott, and Michelle Drouin.