Psychopathy

Are Machiavellianism and psychopathy the same trait? A new 30-day diary study reveals that while these dark personalities look identical on paper, tracking daily behavior shows they operate in completely distinct ways.

A new experiment using brain wave monitoring shows that people with high psychopathic traits process social trust and financial rewards differently, experiencing intense mental conflict when violating social norms.

A large-scale brain imaging study of over 800 incarcerated men reveals that highly psychopathic individuals possess an expanded cortical surface area and a compressed physical brain organization, offering new clues into the biology of empathy and antisocial behavior.

Psychopaths account for a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and early treatments frequently failed. Today, scientists are finding that specialized, strength-based therapies can help manage psychopathic traits, particularly when started early in childhood.

Are psychopaths completely incapable of feeling sad? A new study of incarcerated men suggests otherwise, revealing that psychopathy may actually be a subconscious defense mechanism where the brain actively avoids sadness and hyper-focuses on anger instead.

A new study reveals that people with psychopathic traits can accurately judge another person's emotions. However, they show a distinct inability to physically and emotionally resonate with those feelings.

A new study reveals that people with high psychopathic traits don't lack fear. Instead, their hearts race during scary situations, but their brains uniquely interpret this physical arousal as an exciting, positive thrill rather than a threat.

A recent study suggests that high psychopathic traits are linked to reduced thickness in brain regions responsible for processing emotions. This neural pattern appears consistently, regardless of a person's criminal history.

A new review of 64 experiments suggests non-invasive brain stimulation can improve empathy and guilt in healthy people. However, researchers caution there is currently no direct evidence that the technology works on individuals with psychopathy.

As digital sex crimes rise, psychologists are uncovering the traits of potential offenders. A new study links upskirting to the "Dark Tetrad" of personality and exposes a significant generational gap in victim blaming.

A new meta-analysis published in the Journal of Applied Psychology reveals that employees with psychopathic traits tend to exhibit lower task performance and are less likely to help colleagues, while engaging in more counterproductive behaviors.

A new study reveals that students with high primary psychopathic traits tend to have lower cortisol levels in the morning. This finding suggests a biological link to the emotional coldness and low anxiety characteristic of psychopathy.

Incarcerated women with high psychopathy scores report feeling less dominant when viewing distressing images. The findings suggest a complex form of defensive emotional regulation.

Entrepreneurial spirit is driven by a complex mix of personality traits, including narcissism and psychopathy. Researchers found that these dark characteristics predict entrepreneurial potential even when controlling for general personality factors.

Individuals with high levels of psychopathy are over nine times more likely to develop schizophrenia than those with low levels, according to a 40-year longitudinal study of forensic psychiatric patients in Finland.