Psycopaths

The other day I went to the library near 116th Street in Manhattan and picked up a book called The Psychopath Inside by James Fallon. I've read a couple books on psychopaths before (The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, and  Confessions of a Sociopath by M. E. Thomas), but this particular book from the library interested me because it was written by a neuroscientist who was a borderline psychopath himself. Actually the only thing that kept him from being a full-out killer psychopath was that he hadn't killed anyone and did not have the desire to do so.

The question is why isn't he a killer when these other similar psychopaths are?

Psychopaths are known to lack empathy but are gifted at judging situations in a purely rational sense. Psychopaths are often popular and successful people because they are so rational. Empathy does not get in the way of their climb to the top. Psychopaths are unafraid of danger or hurting other people, and as a result tend to hurt or endanger others without thought.

One of the reasons for their risk-taking is that psychopaths have little or no brain activity in their anterior cingulate cortex, the area of the brain responsible for hot cognition, or decision making based on empathy.

On the other hand, psychopaths have increased brain activity in their dorsal prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for cold cognition, or rational decision making. Genetics are thought to be responsible for the lack of activity in almost all empathetic parts of the psychopathic brain because psychopathy tends to run in families.

Now, why aren't all psychopaths killers? From what is known today, it seems that psychopathic killers were more likely abused as kids, while psychopaths with a nicer upbringing tend to simply grow up into ruthless adults.

This book is an entertaining read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in neuroscience.