Market Dominance and Psychological Mechanisms of the Netorare (NTR) Genre An Economic and Evolutionary Analysis

This study investigates the paradoxical market dominance of the Netorare (NTR) genre, which creates economic value through the consumption of "Bads"—specifically, the negative affects of betrayal and sexual jealousy. Despite the evolutionary aversion to paternal uncertainty, the genre has secured a mainstream position in the adult content market, challenging the traditional economic assumption of utility maximization. This paper analyzes this phenomenon through a multi-disciplinary framework integrating evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and depth psychology. First, evolutionary psychology suggests that the "Sperm Competition" theory transforms the threat of infidelity into physiological arousal as a reproductive defense mechanism, converting evolutionary fear into sexual urgency. Second, neuroscientific evidence indicates a significant overlap in the neural processing of disgust and sexual arousal within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) and Insula, allowing moral violation to amplify dopaminergic reward. Third, psychologically, the consumption is framed as "Benign Masochism," where safe exposure to egothreatening narratives provides meta-cognitive pleasure and catharsis through the mechanism of vicarious embarrassment. The study concludes that NTR functions as a "Supernormal Stimulus" that successfully eroticizes modern relational anxieties and the fear of replaceability, offering a safe environment to process the biological terror of genetic extinction. Keywords: Netorare (NTR), Sperm Competition, Benign Masochism, Vicarious Embarrassment, Neuroeconomics of Bads. Declaration of AI Use: During the preparation of this work, the author used generative AI for bibliographical research and citation formatting. After using this tool/service, the author reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes full responsibility for the content of the publication.