Psychopathy

A mother's emotional coldness may be a family risk marker for callous traits in teens with serious behavior problems. New research suggests the emotional side of maternal psychopathy predicts teens' callousness a year later, beyond their starting levels.

Childhood chaos may shape adult personality more than persistent hardship. A new study in Personality and Individual Differences links an unpredictable early home life to psychopathic traits like meanness and disinhibition, particularly among men.

New research analyzing convicted offenders in South Korea reveals that specific psychological traits vary across different types of within-family murders. Emotional deficits play a pronounced role in distinguishing those who kill their parents from those who kill their siblings.

A recent review published in Aggression and Violent Behavior suggests psychopathy stems from dysfunction in the brain systems responsible for sensing and regulating the body's internal organs, offering a radical new perspective on the disorder.

While early abuse is a known risk factor for psychopathy, the psychological pathways connecting the two remain murky. New research suggests that an avoidant attachment style acts as a bridge, linking traumatic childhoods to cold, antisocial behaviors in adulthood.

A new study reveals that specific psychopathic traits, like emotional coldness and recklessness, are associated with a poorer daily prison experience. However, manipulative traits do not share this same negative connection to overall wellbeing.

People with higher levels of narcissism and psychopathy tend to experience lower physical and psychological reactions to acute stress. A recent study suggests these socially aversive personality traits might actually offer biological resilience during high-pressure situations.

New research shows that individuals accused of murder possess physically smaller brain structures linked to emotion and decision-making. These anatomical differences appear heavily driven by psychopathic personality traits.

Psychopathic traits exist on a spectrum in the general population. A new study breaks down exactly how traits like callousness and selfishness correspond to distinct deficits in our ability to understand and feel the emotions of others.

New research finds that high psychopathic personality traits are associated with a thinner outer layer of the brain in specific regions. This structural brain pattern was identical in men convicted of domestic violence and non-violent men.

Most empathy research relies on static photos or written surveys. A new study recording natural, face-to-face conversations reveals that psychopathic traits disrupt how people physically and emotionally sync up with others in the real world.

A new psychological investigation details how people with different psychopathic traits view their own identity, showing that emotional callousness is linked to a smaller likelihood of defining oneself through social connections.

By measuring brainwaves and startle reflexes on a smartphone, researchers discovered that psychopathic traits like boldness overload attention to ignore threats, while meanness is tied to a biological deficit in emotional processing.

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.