The term ‘psychopath’ is frequently used. However, do you recognize the telltale signs? Psychopathy is characterized by antisocial behavior, a deceptive nature, a lack of remorse, and a propensity for manipulation. However, there are a few indicators that you may not realize are associated with psychopathic tendencies.
Psychopaths Excessively Talk About Money and Food
Psychopaths take this type of conversation to a higher level than the majority of people. Cornell University researchers compared the stories of 14 psychopathic male criminals with those of 38 undiagnosed male criminals. When asked about their crimes, the former group was twice as likely to discuss food and money.
Psychopaths Don’t Yawn Contagiously
It’s an age-old problem, isn’t it? If you see someone yawning, you cannot help but yawn as well. However, according to researchers from Baylor University in Texas, students who scored highly for ‘cold-heartedness’ were also less likely to yawn when others did, presumably because they lacked empathy. Ph.D. student Brian Rundle, who participated in the 2015 study, told a newspaper that one of the strongest lines of evidence is that contagious yawning is strongly associated with empathy.
While this is a very interesting discovery, it does not imply that there is something wrong with you and that you are a psychopath. There is evidence that the dominant male in dogs, baboons, and chimpanzees tends to yawn first. Sitting around the campfire causes everyone to yawn, and rather than going to bed at different times, they all do it at once.
Increased Hand Gestures
According to popular belief, a psychopath frequently uses rapid up-and-down hand movements when speaking. As a subtly manipulative technique, they may do so to emphasize the portions of their sentence that they want people to hear. FBI agents observed that in a police interview with psychopath Paul Bernardo – he used powerful hand gestures to divert from his spoken lies.
Inconsistent Sleeping Habits
While most people sleep at night, a psychopath has a highly stimulated mind that keeps them awake. In 2013, Australian researchers discovered that a preference for remaining awake until the early hours of the morning was associated with antisocial behavior, and dark Triad traits, which include psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Dr. Paul Hokemeyer says that a psychopath has an incredible mind that requires constant stimulation.
Limited Head Motions
Researchers at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque examined the head movements of over 500 inmates to determine whether severe and long-lasting antisocial behavior was associated with head movements. Those who had maintained this behavior were observed to have more rigid head movements during recorded conversations. Even though head movements have been associated with deceptiveness, it’s speculated that a psychopath may use rigidity as a cover.