Study Reveals 7 Ways to Recognise a Psychopath by Their Gaze
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Many people describe psychopaths as a personality disorder whose sufferers often display cruel and unfeeling behaviour. In fact, psychopathy is not an official mental health diagnosis. In current psychiatric terminology, patterns of behaviour indicating that someone is unfeeling, indifferent, and sly are generally known as Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association described APD as a behavioural disorder characterised by unfeeling and unemotional traits in children aged 12 and above in its diagnostic manual. It is a serious condition reflecting interpersonal deficits and can be associated with dangerous behaviours.
Signs of psychopathy visible in the eyes
Citing Psych Central, researchers have studied distinct visual behaviours among individuals with psychopathy. For example, when a normal person looks at something disturbing, their pupils dilate, reflecting the body’s sympathetic nervous system.
But a 2018 study of 82 men with interpersonal-affective psychopathic traits found a reduced pupil response when shown negative images. A different study also found reduced pupil dilation among psychopaths when listening to negative sounds, such as screams.
Meanwhile, researchers also found that those with psychopathic traits spend longer looking at photos depicting emotions, such as pain and shame.
Moreover, several studies indicate that people with psychopathy make less eye contact than those without.
“Sometimes, people with psychopathy use eye contact as a deliberate means to control and intimidate others,” said Dr. Naomi Murphy, a consultant and forensic psychologist and founder of Octopus Psychology. “But gaze can also reflect cold and hard anger.”
Murphy emphasised that the assumption that all individuals with psychopathy have a terrifying gaze is incorrect.
Although there are no specific and definite signs that constitute a ‘psychopath’s gaze’, there are several common signs observed by researchers:
A cold demeanour, lack of empathy or affection
Wide-open eyes, with more of the white of the eye visible
Less blinking
A gaze that feels threatening
The black part of the eye enlarges (the pupil dilates)
An intense gaze
Longer eye contact