It seems even the readers of Banker & Tradesman – who are, without a doubt, the most well-educated, respectful and humanitarian readers any newspaper in the Greater Boston area can claim – are a bloodthirsty bunch.

Betrayed by big data (in this case, Google analytics); each week, the most-viewed stories fall into three major categories: breaking news, crime and punishment. Thanks for that first one, by the way; it’s good to know our readers are still interested in the primary function of journalism.

Whenever Banker & Tradesman staff write about a crime committed – Ponzi schemes, embezzlement, bank robberies, even mail fraud – the hit count climbs. Closely behind those articles are the stories of the punishments – fines paid, licenses lost, restitutions made, jail sentences assigned.

And so it goes; such is human nature, after all. It’s comforting to sit at one’s desk on a Monday morning and read about the tragedies that befall others – with sympathy for the victims, of course, accompanied by overtones of “thank God it wasn’t me, my family, my friends.” And it’s satisfying to read that another criminal has been caught and punished for their sins, both against the victims and against the industry as a whole.

But with a little perspective, the view changes. Day by day and week by week, crime and punishment are the top stories; our readers are only human. But over the course of the entire year, a different picture emerges. Still on top are our outstanding breaking news stories – Steve Adam’s piece about Midwood Tower is the most-viewed story of the year so far. Also near the top are recent redevelopment proposals in Government Center, expansion plans in Kenmore Square and land acquisitions in the Seaport. And yes, ok, the second most-viewed story is that of Quincy-based auctioneer Daniel J. Flynn’s arrest on federal fraud charges.

Rising like cream, though, are the people stories. Robert Griffin’s departure from Cushman & Wakefield and Luis Alvarado’s earlier promotion to head of the Northeast region following the wake of Cushman’s merger with DTZ are both in the top 10. An In Person Q&A with local realtor and colorful personality Anthony Lamacchia; the profiles of our Women of FIRE and Community Bank Heroes; the People page on the old website – they’re all up there in the rankings.

While it could be argued that Google’s analysis of reader habits is not the strongest correlation to the behavior of humanity as a whole, there’s a lesson to be learned nonetheless. In the most stressful moments of the day, when the emails come pouring in, the projects are late, the phones keep ringing and you’re pretty sure you forgot to start the dishwasher before leaving the house, a little schadenfreude is forgivable and perhaps even healthy. Better to read about someone else’s misdeeds than to commit your own.

But at the end of the year, when the projects have been completed, the emails answered and the dishes are clean, just remember – it’s all about the people. It’s not flashy, but it is important; struggles and triumphs, successes and recognitions deserve to be read, shared and celebrated. And the readers of Banker & Tradesman know it.