Psychopaths are among the most interesting people in the world. They seem to have evolved specifically to take advantage of the way normal human beings evolved. Their lack of empathy makes it easy for them to take advantage of the fact most other people have quite a lot of empathy. The study of psychopathy is still relatively young and so we don’t know if they can be cured or effectively detected at a young age. Psychopaths have different brain structures than normal humans, which goes some way to explain how they are so different. It’s thought there are 70 million psychopaths out there in the world. With that many, you should know some things about them. Here are ten facts about psychopaths.
Some Cultures Produce More Psychopaths
Research shows that there is a higher concentration of psychopaths in the western world than there are in East-Asia. We really don’t know why this it. It could possibly be that western culture rewards psychopathic behavior, and so psychopaths are more likely to spread their genetics. It’s also possible that Asian cultures make it more easy for a psychopath to disguise themselves as normal. Another possibility is that people simply seem more like psychopaths in the western world because we are less shackled by tradition and social class. Or alternatively, it could literally be environmental influence. Maybe the climate or weather, or whatever, makes western pigs more heartless. I personally think we can chalk it up to white devilry.
There is a Way To Become Psychopathic
There really is a way to become more like a psychopath. Many people who take prescription medicine for anxiety or depression feel their personality change. Recent research shows that such medication can actually make people feel less empathy, it makes people more psychopathic. And it’s not just empathy; it’s a general dulling of emotions. This is particularly worrying as the number of people using such medication is always rising, and quickly. There is some concern that such medication also causes DNA dame, although that has only been linked to some specific types of medicine. Either way, don’t take medication unless you really need it, you might end up like Jeffrey Dahmer.
They’re Really Good At Emotional Manipulation
As I alluded to in the introduction of this article, their lack of empathy allows them to use other people’s empathy as an emotional wrecking ball. People in relationships with psychopaths will often be made to feel like they are in the wrong, even when they are not. They confront their psychopathic lover only to come away from it feeling as if they are the abusive one. They are able t do this because they do, in fact, have a very good understanding of empathy. Latest research suggests that psychopaths have an empathy switch in their brains, which allow them to fell empathy whenever they want, and completely lack it at will.
One In Five CEOs Are Psychopaths
There are certain professions psychopaths are attracted to. These professions reward their behavior and give them exactly what they want – money and prestige. And CEO is like a dream position for the psychopath, they can openly manipulate their employees, and get paid millions to do so. Psychopaths do so well in business as they can easily make decisions others find difficult. They are also very charming people, and have no problem making connections with senior business people. The rate of psychopathy in successful business people is the same as the rate of convicted prisoners.
They Don’t Recognize Danger
For the longest time it was thought they didn’t feel fear. It turns out they do, but they don’t really care. Despite feeling fear, they are unable to properly recognize danger, so they just end up doing what they want even if they are fearful. This just adds to my long-held suspicion that self improvement seminars are secretly psychopath training camps. But to be fair, psychopaths don’t feel fear nearly as severely as normal humans do. This research supports the idea that the reason so many psychopaths are addicted to hard drugs is because they fail to recognize how dangerous addiction can be.
They Need Constant Stimulation
This would be another reason for their love of hard drugs, it makes them feel good. They get bored easily so they do exciting things just to feel normal. Their brains crave dopamine much more than normal brains, and so they seek out physical pleasure much more than others. They’re naturally hedonistic figures. They also produce more dopamine than others when they achieve their goals. Psychopaths also require less sleep, and tend to be quite physically active. I personally think psychopaths just need something to work towards, maybe they should build some kind of listicle-based website.
Norman Bates Was No Psychopath
Norman Bates was the insane character in the movie Psycho. But despite the name, he was not a psychopath. He had multiple personality disorder, which at one time was confused with psychopathy, hence the name Psycho, as the movie was made in the 1960s. He was a cold blooded killer though, murdering his own mother and her fiance as if they committed suicide. It’s fair to say he went psycho at the end of the movie, but he certainly was not a psychopath.
We Need Psychopaths
Their lack of empathy makes psychopaths well suited to certain positions within society, like surgeon. Who would you rather have operate on your sick relative in the emergence room, a normal nervous human, or a cold-hearted machine-man. Because that’s what psychopaths are, they get the job done. They’re actually also valued in the military, just so long as they can work with other people. Also life would be a lot more boring without psychopaths in the world. Most psychopaths are reasonably assertive and productive, and don’t commit crime. But at least the ones who do are interesting to learn about.
Online Messaging Is The Psychopath Bane
Psychopaths are really good at reading other people’s body language – it’s what makes them so good at communication, they gather information on their victims partly through physical appearance. And so they have a difficult time engaging in online conversations, as it means they can’t read the body language of those they contact. Psychologists tell that psychopaths are actually unable to even seem compelling during purely online conversations, as they rely on body language so much. Without body language, they really can’t give the impression of being charming or witty, just superficial. So, ironically, people on the internet who fit the psychopathic profile of being charming and charismatic are actually a lot less likely to be psychopathic.
Their Decision-Making Processes Are Really Awful
It’s now thought the reason psychopaths are so prone to gambling is their faulty decision making process. Whereas others can properly assess risk and chose not to bet large amounts of money, the psychopath has a much more difficult time doing this. It’s because they have a hard time reflecting on previous failure, which normal humans do to inform future decisions. It’s really a hindrance as we learn a lot from previous mistakes, or else we repeat them indefinitely.