Psychopath: it’s all in the eyes, study shows

PSYCHOPATHS give away telltale signs of the condition in their eyes, according to a study. Researchers have found that the pupils of pyschopaths do not become bigger when they see something upsetting.

Most people’s pupils dilate when they view horrible images, such as mutilated bodies. But a study of 82 criminals found psychopaths’ pupils did not react to the same images, making it easy to identify them.

Researchers at Cardiff and Swansea universities found “factor one” psychopaths, who typically feel less guilt and are more callous towards other people’s suffering, have the same size pupils whether viewing horrific or neutral pictures. Pupils expand when people experience emotion, so this suggests psychopaths are more impervious to threats and suffering.

Professor Nicola Gray, a Swansea University psychologist who supervised the project, said: “This is one of the first times we have objective, physiological evidence of an emotional deficit underpinning the offending behaviour of psychopathic offenders that does not depend on invasive methods or expensive equipment.”

Experts have suggested that psychopaths are less able to experience emotions, although some believe it is only negative emotions.

Lead author Dr Dan Burley, from Cardiff University, said: “The pupil has long been known to be an indicator of a person’s arousal. Card sharks have learnt to look carefully at the eyes of their opponents to gauge if they have a great hand. The pupil usually dilates when an image shocks or scares us.

“The fact that this normal physiological response to threat is reduced in psychopathic offenders provides us with a physical marker.”

The study, published in the journal Personality Disorders: Theory, Research and Treatment, found psychopaths’ pupils did not dilate normally when viewing angry faces, but dilated a lot for smiling faces. That might be because psychopaths are suspicious of people who appear to be happy. |