Dr. Evelyn Talbot, the psychiatrist heroine of my suspense series—which began with Hanover House and Her Darkest Nightmare and now continues with Hello Again on October 3—studies psychopaths at a remote facility in Alaska. Creating this unusual prison where so many inmates are serial killers has been a fascinating project for me, probably because Evelyn’s desire to know why these people do what they do—and why they are so difficult to detect and treat—mirrors my own. Although I don’t have Evelyn’s education in psychology, I have done a great deal of research in order to help me create believable characters with this personality disorder.
Psychopaths are almost always portrayed as sadistic monsters, so you might be surprised to learn that some are “subclinical,” meaning they don’t kill people or get in trouble with the law. They are prone to wrecking lives in more subtle ways, however (i.e., using people, sabotaging people, manipulating people, blaming people, etc.), and there are a lot of them out there. Statistics indicate that psychopaths comprise about 4% of the population. That means, if you live in the United States, you have a greater chance of being a psychopath than of getting colon cancer!
Here are six criteria that might indicate whether you have at least some antisocial traits.
1. Do you take your coffee black?
A study from the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that people who like their coffee black are more likely to have psychopathic tendencies. Actually, the study tested “bitter foods” like coffee, but out of the 1000 people tested, there was a strong correlation between those who exhibit antisocial personality traits and those who prefer strong bitter flavors (such as coffee, beer, tonic water, and radishes). Earlier studies seem to back this up. A dislike of bitter tastes is linked to greater emotional sensitivity in humans and rats.
2. Do you show lower levels of activity in the prefrontal regions of your brain?
Josh Buckholtz, associate professor of psychology at Harvard University, mapped the connections between the ventral striatum and other regions of the brain in 49 psychopaths. He found the connections between the striatum and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex were much weaker in people with psychopathy.
“We need the prefrontal cortex to make prospective judgments on how an action will affect us in the future—if I do this, then this bad thing will happen… If you break that connection in anyone, they’re going to start making bad choices because they won’t have the information that would otherwise guide their decision-making to more adaptive ends.”
He claims this is why psychopaths commit an astonishing amount of crime—they lack the ability to make good decisions.
3. To what extent, on a scale of 1 – 7, do you agree with this statement, “I am a narcissist.” (1 being that you aren’t very narcissistic and 7 being that you are very narcissistic.)
If you answered that you are very narcissistic, you’re probably right. According to Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University and the author of a study that claims to be able to determine whether you are a psychopath from only the above question:
“People who are narcissists are almost proud of the fact. You can ask them directly because they don’t see narcissism as a negative quality—they believe they are superior to other people and are fine with saying that publicly.”
Extreme narcissism is definitely one of the defining traits of a psychopath!
4. Are you a CEO, lawyer, salesman or surgeon?
According to an article published in Forbes Magazine, psychopaths “display a fearless dominance over other people,” so they are perfect for these careers. The ones I’ve already named might not surprise you, but journalist, chef, and even clergyman made the list of top ten careers that attract the most psychopaths!
5. Were you a callous and unemotional child?
Dr. Eva Kimonis, a psychologist from the University of New South Wales, led an international research team who evaluated more than 200 children between three and six years old for these traits. The results, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, revealed that 10 percent of the children tested showed signs of CU traits, including lack of empathy, affection, and remorse. According to Dr. Kimonis:
“We essentially found that preschoolers that show impaired development of conscience are deficient in how they process emotions, similar to what we find in older adolescent and adult populations with the same problems. These children are poorer at recognizing other people’s emotional expressions, and images depicting others in distress don’t capture their attention like it does for typically developing children as young as age three.”
6. Can you turn your empathy on and off?
For quite some time, it was believed that psychopaths felt no empathy. This was proven to be the case through brain imaging. In one study, 24 convicted psychopaths were transferred to a Dutch forensic clinic where activity in the part of the brain that registers empathy was measured while they were shown movies of people hurting each other. Their scans revealed much less empathy than that of the normal control group. But when the psychopaths were asked to identify with the people who were being hurt, the activity level in this part of their brains rose to the point that it became difficult to tell their scans apart from that of the controls. In other words, psychopaths can feel empathy if they choose to engage in that way. It just isn’t their default.
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you might be a little worried. But if that’s the case, you’re probably not a psychopath. Psychopaths don’t feel the same worry, anxiety, and fear as normal people, which is why it’s so easy for them to do such terrible things.
Also, many of these studies have their critics. Just because you like your coffee black might not indicate anything. Not only do tastes change over time, “bitterness” is subjective. And if you have lower levels of activity in the prefrontal regions of your brain? Brain activity can vary widely within normal people. We certainly aren’t at the point where we can look at someone’s brain scan and claim, on that evidence alone, that they are or will become dangerous.
Still, the research in this field is fascinating, and I hope you’ll find Evelyn Talbot’s work with the serial killers in Hanover House just as intriguing. In Hello Again, she must match wits not only with a new inmate aptly nicknamed the Zombie Maker but she might have to contend with the serial killer who nearly took her life when she was only sixteen (hence the title).
Read an excerpt from Hello Again!
To learn more or order a copy, visit:
Brenda Novak is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of sixty books. A five-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Silver Bullet. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.6 million.
Sounds interesting, I’d love a copy to check out.
wow I know some of these people
Hannover House… Sounds like a nice B&B.
Having supervised on probation a number of clinically diagnosed psychopaths I found this a reminder of that career. Look forward to this title.
Can’t wait to read it!! Thanks
Me, I’m perfectly OK!
interesting
Look forward to reading this one!
I think the answer is no, ha ha ha. Can’t wait for this one to be released, couldn’t put down the first 2 in the series.
Thank you for the chance to win this book.
This looks interesting!
Scary to think about but interesting!
Another great read!!
Thanks!
There be monsters among us!
Would make a good little buzz quiz. The career path characteristic was interesting though.
That check list was a little too close to home!
I would love to read the book.
Glad that (usually) liking my coffee black isn’t causative or definitive.
I think I’m safe.
Please enter me in this sweepstakes.
Thanks!
Definitely not a psychopath but I have undoubtedly encountered a few among the many library patrons that I havr assisted.
I need to read this because I love bitter tastes!
Interesting list. I do like black coffee but did not meet any of the other criteria.
yeah
Sounds interesting!
I have the first two books and would really love to get the third. I may not be a pyschopath, but I definitely find them very interesting.
Looks like an interesting book
Ok, I’m a lawyer who takes my coffee black! I guess if you look hard enough anyone can be anything. Interesting article though, can’t wait to read the book!
This book sounds like it’s right up my alley!
I wonder if I know any psychopaths?
Like her books a lot.
Like her books a lot
Like her books a lot
This sounds like a good read. And the list of tendencies for psychopaths is disturbing!
I am a winner! Not a Psychopath??? Yes!
I’m OK but now I wonder about a couple of my friends.
I’m OK but now I wonder about a couple of my friends.
Say what?? I love strong coffee and I’m a bit on the quiet side although not really anti-social and I’m hoping I’m not harboring any psychopathic tendencies….but maybe you never know….haha~
I’m very intrigued by this. I have been a Brenda Novak fan for a long time, and have always been fascinated in psychopathic behavior. Can’t wait to read! And I passed the test, luckily. (I like a LOT of sugar and creamer in my coffee. lol)
Sounds great!
looks interesting
Sounds intriguing. Thanks.
Thanks for this fascinating book giveaway.
Interesting and scary article.
Very intriguing.
This sounds like some of my bosses.
Anxious to read Brenda’s new book, she is a terrific writer
Whew, I’m not a psychopath!
Great author and captivating feature.
I failed the phycopath test. That doesn’t make me feel better.
Woukd love to read this book. Miss Novak is a great writer.
I love this kind of read!
I love this kind of read!
Interesting. But the most psychopathic person I*ve ever worked with had a major sweet tooth.
This is a cool test, but I don’t think I’m a psychopath lol. Anyways, Novak’s book looks like an awesome mystery!
very interesting – made me think!
I would like to read this.
I look forward to reading this. I’ve read her stuff before and enjoyed it.
Can’t wait to read this.
Would like to read this.
Thanks for the chance. Love Brenda’s novels.
Oh great failed another test! wait that’s good right!
Oh great failed another test! wait that’s good right!
Scary people!
Brenda never disappoints.
Would love to read this
I love Brenda’s books, and this is one I really want to read. Thanks for this chance.
Unfortunately I think we all kniw people who fit into this category. I once read that 1 in 30 people are psychopaths. They just don’t all act out in harnful ways that get noticed by authorities.
This sounds like another great book by Brenda Novak! Thank you for the giveaway.
This sounds like another great book by Brenda Novak! Thank you for the giveaway.
This sounds like a fascinating book! Looks like I’m not a sociopath- interesting article!
Count me in, please!
Based on that survey, I think I’m ok.
Fascinating. Wish I’d stayed with my first love – psychology.
Fascinating. Wish I’d stayed with my first love – psychology.
Not a psychopath myself, but as a news writer, I definitely have encountered a few.
Sounds awesome! I look forward to reading this. Thanks for the opportunity to win
I am definitely not a psychopath – well, maybe a have a few tendencies in that direction. OK, more than a few. Maybe I could be. Alright; I am a psychopath, but only on weekends and never on a full moon. On a full moon I am a werewolf.
I’d like to read the book.
Pick me, pick me!
Pick me, pick me!
Would love to win! Sounds good!
Good to know… I am NOT a psychopath. Thanks for the opportunity giveaway opportunity.
I Love Brenda Novak! I would love to win the giveaway!
Are You A Psychopath blog had some new and interesting information about the signs of psychopathy. I would love to try Brenda Novak’s book.
Interesting to think about.
very interesting
Do I need to worry? My husband prefers his coffee black, likes beer and radishes (not together).
Thhis woman can certainlny write gritty stories. Good for her! And for readers who enjoy such stories (like me!)
i am looking forward to reading this. it sounds interesting.
Might learn a lot from this book.
Looking forward to reading this book
That makes for an interesting list.
The book also sounds like an interesting read.
That makes for an interesting list.
The book also sounds like an interesting read.
I would love to read this book it sounds great. I’m extremely happy that I flunked the psychopathic test!
I love these kinds of stories. They give me the woolies!
I love these kinds of stories. They give me the woolies!
Interesting list of signs of psychopathy
I would like to read the work of Brenda Novak.
theyyyguy@yahoo.com
Sounds good, would love to read this!
would love to read this
This sounds like the perfect read!
I cannot wait to read this! I would like to give thanks for all your really great writings . I wish the best in keeping up the good work in the future.
I’m sure this would confirm my thoughts that my husband is a narcisist.
Good deal, count me in!
Thanks for the great giveaway!
It’s an interesting subject. The book sounds like a great read.
[b]Are YOU a Psychopath?[/b]
[b]Of course, I am watching you now. [/b]
I already know I am!
@CarlWhite
ha ha ha
Since you are not a psychologist, do you worry that you may not have done enough research?
interesting read
interesting read