How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

You are here: Home / Archives for Scientific research

Research shows smart, psychopathic business managers may be able to conceal their disorder

//  by //  4 Comments

When Carolyn Bates was an undergraduate attending the University of Hudddersfield in England, her final-year project for her psychology degree turned out to be groundbreaking research into the links between psychopathy and intelligence. According to Science Daily, Bates said that she was intrigued by research that showed while one percent of the population were categorized as psychopaths, the figure rose to three percent in the case of business managers. “I thought that intelligence could be an explanation for this, and it could be a problem if there are increased numbers of psychopaths at a high level in business,” she said. After administering a number of tests to 50 participants, Bate …

Research shows smart, psychopathic business managers may be able to conceal their disorderRead More

Study shows family dinners are good for teens’ mental health

//  by //  Leave a Comment

A recent study published in the JAMA Pediatrics journal discovered that among teenagers, online bullying (or cyber bullying) is now a bigger problem than face-to-face harassment. More than 20,000 adolescents were measured for their exposure to bullying. Those who had high exposure to cyber bullying also had higher incidents of emotional, behavioral and substance-use problems. According to the study, regular family dinners are good for teenagers' mental health, helping to tackle the problem of cyber bullying. The study's lead author, Frank Elgar, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine in Canada, concluded that regular family meal times …

Study shows family dinners are good for teens’ mental healthRead More

Researchers use light to change memories in mice

//  by //  Leave a Comment

Researchers at the Massachusetts Intstitute of Technology have found a way to change good memories into bad ones, and bad memories into good ones at least in mice. The researchers used light to switch particular neurons in the brains of mice on and off, which had the effect of changing their memories. Although the findings are very preliminary, experts believe the technique may lead to more effective therapies for people suffering from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Light can switch bad memories to good, on USAToday.com. Using light technique, scientists find dimmer switch for memories in mice, on NYTimes.com. …

Researchers use light to change memories in miceRead More

Students develop scientific way to reduce date rapes

//  by //  3 Comments

Four students from North Carolina State University invented "Undercover Colors," a  nail polish that can detect if a date-rape drug has been added to a drink. A woman wearing the nail polish just stirs her drink with her finger. If a drug is in the drink, the nail polish changes color. The nail polish is a scientific attempt to thwart a nationwide problem. A recent Washington Post analysis showed more than 3,900 allegations of forcible sex offenses on college campuses nationwide in 2012, a statistic that rose 50 percent in three years Undercover Colors is currently raising cash to refine its prototype and pay executives. "We are early in the R&D stage for this important product," sa …

Students develop scientific way to reduce date rapesRead More

Prolonged stress damages children’s learning, behavior and health

//  by //  6 Comments

Extensive research on the biology of stress now shows that the healthy development of children can be derailed by excessive or prolonged activation of stress response systems in the body (especially the brain), with damaging effects on learning, behavior, and health across the lifespan. This topic will be highlighted at the National Coucil of Juvenile and Family and Court Judges in July in Chicago. According to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Harvard University, it's important to distinguish among three kinds of responses to stress: positive, tolerable and toxic. "When toxic stress response occurs continuously, or is triggered by multiple sources, it can have a …

Prolonged stress damages children’s learning, behavior and healthRead More

Trauma can be passed on in molecules of DNA

//  by //  6 Comments

Research has shown that a traumatic experience can cause changes in a person's mental health, and can also change their DNA. This means trauma may get passed to future generations. At the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), researchers have discovered that the short RNA molecules that perform a wide range of vital roles in the body were altered in mice when exposed to trauma. "We were able to demonstrate for the first time that traumatic experiences affect metabolism in the long-term and that these changes are hereditary," said Professor Isabelle Mansuy, as quoted by the Daily Mail.  "With the imbalance in microRNAs in sperm, we have discovered a …

Trauma can be passed on in molecules of DNARead More

Study reveals Mafia prisoners less likely to be psychopathic than fellow inmates

//  by //  4 Comments

Italian researchers in Sicily released a new study revealing that members of the Mafia are less likely to be psychopaths than other criminals. The study compared 30 Mafia members in a Palermo, Sicily jail convicted of crimes such as murder, trafficking, extortion, fraud, sexual exploitation and kidnapping, to a group of 39 non-Mafia prisoners, whose offenses included murder, rape, child sexual abuse and armed robbery. The study concluded that, according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised, none of the Mafia scored in the psychopathic range, while 10% of the comparison prisoners did. The Mafia members were also found to be less ”˜manipulative,' ”˜Machiavellian,' ”˜narcissistic,' ”˜unem …

Study reveals Mafia prisoners less likely to be psychopathic than fellow inmatesRead More

Six statements that do not describe psychopaths

//  by //  Leave a Comment

The Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy says  "a constellation of traits” defines the psychopath.  The  Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) measures 20 personality traits and behaviors to determine a person's level of psychopathy. But some common ideas about psychopaths are wrong, says Dean A. Haycock, author of Murderous Minds: Exploring the Criminal Psychopathic Brain: Neurological Imaging and the Manifestation of Evil. He suggests six common misconceptions about psychopaths, the first being that all psychopaths are insane. Because psychopaths know the difference between right and wrong, legally, they are not insane. The other five misconceptions are that all mass …

Six statements that do not describe psychopathsRead More

Prologue of a Sociopath

//  by //  36 Comments

The following piece considers our rampant professional failure to not only identify sociopaths but also to know how to label and talk about them if they are identified. It is an excerpt from The Other Side of Charm, which is by me, H.G. Beverly. Here it is: I'm going to start you off by talking about psychopaths. Why not? I can't think of a better way to start off a story about how a charming, apparently caring man can maintain a sparkling smile as he devastates you. Maybe you'll recognize some of these tendencies in people you know. Maybe you'll be surprised. So let's talk about it. Psychopath. Sociopath. Antisocial Personality Disorder. The labels are muddled and confusing because th …

Prologue of a SociopathRead More

Research continues to show differences in psychopath brain activity

//  by //  2 Comments

Scientists have shown that there is a specific network of brain regions involved in mediating moral judgment. Based on research, "antisocial groups" such as psychopaths may know what is moral, but they may lack a feeling of what is moral. Several researchers have additionally suggested that the brain areas involved in moral judgment overlap with what is called the "default mode network," which is involved in our "baseline" state of being awake but at rest. Many research teams approach the morality issue by concentrating on different parts of the brain and different kinds of studies. Similar research is also being conducted on those with autistic brains. Link suggested by a Lovefraud …

Research continues to show differences in psychopath brain activityRead More