5 Surprising Signs You’re Dealing with a Psychopath

Identifying someone with psychopathy isn’t easy, as these individuals are often cunning and far from the movie stereotypes. Science, however, can help. Here are several research-backed, unexpected traits that are commonly found in psychopaths.

What Is a Psychopath?

In everyday language, a psychopath is often imagined as either a twisted criminal like Hannibal Lecter or someone who expresses emotions in an overly intense or inappropriate way. In reality, it’s much more complicated.

A psychopath can seem completely normal, even charming. Their behavior isn’t always antisocial—on the contrary, they might be respected and successful professionals. They may just be a bit fearless (which, after all, is often necessary for success).

However, psychopaths typically have a reduced capacity for empathy and remorse, are deceitful, egocentric, and display shallow emotional responses. This combination of traits makes them ruthless manipulators.

That’s why it can be so difficult to tell whether you’re dealing with a charismatic, hardworking achiever or a cunning schemer who wouldn’t hesitate to harm others. Recent studies offer some clues.

1. Their Profession

According to an anonymous survey by Oxford University psychologist Kevin Dutton, psychopaths are most commonly found in the following professions:

• CEO
• Lawyer
• Media (radio or TV)
• Salesperson
• Surgeon
• Journalist
• Police officer
• Clergy
• Chef
• Civil servant

Of course, this doesn’t mean every boss or lawyer has a personality disorder. It’s more likely that these roles simply allow psychopaths to thrive and succeed.

It’s also worth noting that the survey only included UK residents and there were some questions about its methodology. Still, Australian psychologist Nathan Brooks has reported that 21% of top managers in Australia are psychopaths—a strikingly high number.

2. They Prefer the Night

According to a 2013 Australian study, Creatures of the night: Chronotypes and the Dark Triad traits, psychopaths are more likely to be night owls than early birds. This was found to be true for all members of the so-called “dark triad”—which includes narcissists and Machiavellians as well as psychopaths.

Researcher Peter Jonason explained that people with dark triad traits, like many predators, prefer nighttime, when others are asleep and more vulnerable.

3. They Don’t Yawn Contagiously

Contagious yawning is linked to empathy. Since psychopaths are known to lack empathy, they are less likely to yawn when someone else does. This was confirmed by a 2015 American study, Contagious yawning and psychopathy.

4. They Like Bitter Foods

A 2015 study, Individual differences in bitter taste preferences are associated with antisocial personality traits, found that psychopaths and sadists tend to enjoy bitter foods. So, fans of tonic water and strong black coffee might raise some suspicion.

5. They’re More Likely to Be Criminals

While not all psychopaths behave antisocially, their proportion among criminals is much higher. Estimates suggest that more than 7% of prisoners in England and Wales, about 15% in some studies, and over 20% in others, are psychopaths. Considering that only about 1% of the world’s population has psychopathic personality disorder, these numbers are significant.

This is likely because psychopaths find it easier to disregard moral norms, and their lack of remorse can make them repeat offenders.

Conclusion

Of course, having one or two of these traits doesn’t mean someone is a psychopath. But if you notice several of these signs, along with the typical personality traits of a psychopath, it might be worth taking a closer look.