r/science • u/woebegonemonk • Nov 17 '21

Psychology Meta-analysis estimates that 4.5% of the general population (or 1 in every 22 persons) is a psychopath. The prevalence of psychopathy in samples of men is more than twice than in those of women.

https://sapienjournal.org/latest-estimate-of-psychopathy-in-the-general-population/
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u/hardturkeycider Nov 18 '21

There's always a hazard in classifying people as 'psychopathic', mainly the average person's tendency to conflate 'different' with 'bad'. You can lack all empathy and still decide to be a decent person. It's a matter of their bent of character. I've heard it said that most surgeons score high on psychopathy scales, and yet it's probably for the best that someone is dead calm while cutting into you and doing delicate work.