3 Hidden Signs that Someone is a Psychopath

http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/3-hidden-signs-that-someone-is-a-psychopath.html/?a=viewall

It’s difficult to definitively label someone as a psychopath; however, there are certain behaviors to watch out for that can be deemed as characteristics of a psychopath. A psychopath, by definition, has a difficult time understanding why people have feelings, and this lack of empathy can be spotted in several of the least obvious ways, including the types of drinks they order. The following scientifically based quirks can deem someone to be along the lines of exhibiting psychopathic characteristic behavior, but may or may not immediately be assessed as such. Interestingly, men are more likely to be psychopaths. Now that you know this, here are 3 things to watch out for if you suspect someone of being a little off.
They’re immune to yawning stimuli

According to a new study that was published online in the journal Individual and Personality Differences, researchers gave 135 undergraduates the task of completing a questionnaire meant to assess the participants levels of psychopathic traits. Afterwards, the participants were given three videos to watch in a random order — one had a person with a neutral face, one was of a person laughing, and the third was of a person yawning. While the participants watched the videos, the researchers closely monitored their faces, looking for minute ? muscle activity. The results of the survey showed something very interesting in regards to their reactions to the videos they watched: The participants who scored higher on the psychopathy-related reality trait of coldheartedness (which Refinery29 describes as an”emotional detachment combined with an overall disagreeable disposition”) were less likely to be affected by the contagious yawning stimuli that most of us fall prey to when we see another person yawn. There appeared to be no correlation between the other psychopathic traits to the result of the study.

Psychology Today notes that people who rate highly on psychopathic traits tend to be insincere, selfish, overconfident, and uncaring. The response (or lack of response) to connect when watching a person yawn, by responding back, seems to fall within the psychopathic personality trait of lacking empathy, which is just one piece to the entire picture. If you’re interested in testing out someone’s coldheartedness or have a sneaking suspicious about their personality, you might want to try yawning before them — or you can take a look on their Instagram and count the amount of selfies they’ve posted. Which brings us to the next fact about psychopaths….

They tend to take a lot of selfies
Besides their inability to return a yawn, new research suggests that men who post a lot of selfies can be indicative of a disturbing personality trait, sending red flags out through social media. In a study published Personality and Individual Differences, researchers took a look at a link between men’s personality traits and how they present themselves on social media. The Ohio State University researchers surveyed 800 men between the ages of 18 and 40, a nationally-representative sample, with the purpose of testing selfie-taking habits in relation to “men’s functional levels of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy” — the three traits are collectively known as the “Dark Triad,” which has become a new focus of personality psychology.

The survey focused on personalities, asking them questions such as how attractive they considered themselves, how much they desired others to pay attention to them, how concerned they were with morality, and whether they had an affinity toward manipulating people. The participants were then asked about the frequency of their social media usage; for instance, how often they posted pictures and the degree to which they would edit their photos before posting them.

The survey found that those men who showed high levels of self-objectification (or who valued themselves solely based on appearance) and narcissism spent greater amounts of time on social media and networking sites. Further, the researchers found upon further investigation that men who were more narcissistic and psychopathic were more likely to post selfies more frequently. Also, the researchers discovered that men who were more prone to narcissism and self-objectification were more likely to edit their posted photos the most. To note, these levels of narcissism are “subclinical” and would not in and of themselves constitute someone as having a full-blown psychopathic disorder, rather it was the traits that qualify as such that were present.

As with the previous study, men who post a lot of selfies possess a key aspect of psychopathy: They’re less empathetic and tend to think higher if themselves. Dully noted.

Finally, you can spot a psychopath if you’re in line listening to their coffee order and…
They order black coffee

This one can easily be confused with someone who just wants to cut out dairy and sugar from their diet. A study published in the journal Appetite suggests that if you tend to prefer your coffee black then you may have psychopathic tendencies. The study of almost 1,000 people, which was conducted by Innsbruck University in Austria, found that those who preferred bitter foods and beverages where more likely, as in the past two studies, to display characteristics of “Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and everyday ? .” The list of other bitter foods included in the study were radishes, celery and tonic water.

It should be noted though that the answers were self-reported by the subjects. Beware of those coffee orders though next time you’re at Starbucks, because trouble might be a-brewin’.