How to understand that a psychopath is in front of you: scientists named an unexpected sign

According to scientists from Radboud University (Netherlands), the ability to smile and endure it can be a warning sign of a dark personality. That is, if a person can withstand a higher level of pain, he or she is most likely a psychopath.

In tests conducted with members of the public, individuals with psychopathic traits were unable to change their behavior even when faced with painful electric shocks. This insensitivity to punishment can be combined with an excessive desire for reward, which makes psychopaths particularly impulsive and persistent, MailOnline writes.

Psychopathy is one of the so-called "dark triad" personality traits, characterized by pathological deceitfulness, manipulativeness, lack of guilt, and a tendency to poor behavioral control. Not everyone with these traits is considered psychopathic, and many members of the general public may have some psychopathic tendencies.

However, the study found that people with higher levels of psychopathy are not only more resistant to pain, but also less able to learn from negative consequences.

"We know from research that people with psychopathic traits do not change their behavior even after being punished, which suggests that it is difficult for them to learn from the negative consequences of their actions," commented Dimana Atanasova, the lead author of the study.

The researchers suggest that the inability of psychopaths to learn from painful outcomes may be a result of insensitivity to physical pain. To test this theory, 106 members of the public filled out questionnaires designed to identify levels of psychopathic tendencies, such as lack of empathy or impulsivity. After passing the test, each participant received a series of small electric shocks using electrodes placed on their hands.

The scientists recorded the moment when the pain became noticeable and the maximum level that the participant was ready to withstand. And, as the experts predicted, the participants who received the highest score for psychopathic tendencies were able to withstand more pain than the average person. In some cases, a few participants even managed to reach a maximum electrode value of 9.99 milliamps before their pain tolerance was reached.

While it is not yet clear why a psychopathic personality might be associated with pain insensitivity, there is a clear link between these traits and learning disabilities.

"The exploitative, antisocial behavior of people with strong psychopathic traits is often viewed through the lens of callousness or lack of remorse-in a sense, that they simply don't care about the consequences. But the results of this study show that the problem can be partly explained by a deficit in how they learn about consequences," Atanasova explains.

In the second test, participants were given a computer game in which they had to choose between two cards of different colors. Each time they chose a card, there was a chance of receiving a reward or a negative consequence. For the first set of 160 choices, this was either a monetary reward of €0.10 (UAH 4.4) or a financial penalty of losing €0.10 (UAH 4.4).

However, for the second set of options, participants either received a small reward of their choice or were electrocuted. The researchers were interested to see how participants changed their behavior after receiving a negative outcome. For example, if a participant received a reward by choosing a green card three times in a row and was shocked the fourth time, would they continue to choose a green card?

The researchers found that people with psychopathic traits, instead of learning from painful experiences, as most people do, demonstrated a tendency called "faith reset."

This means that they quickly reject the painful outcome and return to their original set of beliefs, even if it has been proven not to work. Interestingly, this pattern only emerged in a set of choices where pain was the result of a wrong choice.

The researchers say this may point to insensitivity to pain as a root cause of the psychopathic inability to learn from experience. It may also help explain why psychopaths continue their antisocial behavior even if it gets them into trouble.

"One of the hallmarks of psychopathy is aggressive, exploitative behavior with little regard for the well-being of others. They insist on a given course of action, even if they suffer painful consequences due to a combination of pain insensitivity and a disruption of the basic cognitive learning mechanism. Given the tendency of people with psychopathic traits to violence and aggression, it is important to understand why they do not learn from negative consequences and how they experience pain," explains Dr. Atanasova.

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