Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

What Your Word Choices Reveal About Psychopathic Traits, According to a New Study

A new study links psychopathic traits to how people describe their lives, including an upbeat pattern among some participants.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

You know that one friend whose texts are always a little…off? You tell him your dog died and he answers with a thumbs-up and an update about his promotion. He’s a nice guy, so it’s hard to explain to anyone else why it bugs you so much, but you know something isn’t right. 

Psychologists at the University of Mississippi have been studying how psychopathic traits influence the way people talk about their lives. In a new study, about 450 participants wrote about their best and worst experiences and an event that changed their lives. Researchers then analyzed their word choices alongside questionnaires measuring psychopathic traits. And some of the findings were strange, to say the least.

For starters, psychopathy isn’t an official diagnosis in the DSM. Researchers generally divide it into three traits: boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, which refers to impulsivity and poor self-control. Everybody has some combination of these........

© Vice