psychopathy tagged posts

A recent study has shed light on the brain structure differences associated with psychopathy—a condition known to be one of the strongest predictors of persistent violent behavior.

The findings are published in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.

Using advanced neuroimaging and the Julich-Brain Atlas, researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Georg August University, (Germany) and University of Pennsylvania (U.S.) have identified specific brain networks that appear to be structurally altered in individuals exhibiting psychopathic traits. The Atlas can be freely accessed via the EBRAINS Research Infrastructure.

The study examined structural MRI data from 39 adult male particip...

Here’s what the brain of an extremely selfish person looks like

They deceive people for their own benefit, they see others as weak and untrustworthy, and they ignore moral codes.

Psychologists have dubbed these people Machiavellians after the Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, whose book “The Prince” includes many examples of this sort of unsavory character. Now, a recent study published in the journal Brain and Cognition reveals what goes on in the brains of these social deviants when they’re around others who are acting fairly.

Machiavellianism — which is part of the “dark triad” of personality traits, along with narcissm and psychopathy — falls on a spectrum, from low Machs (aka normal people) to high Machs (aka jerks).

Tamas Bereczkei and his colleagues at the U...