John Ronson, a critically acclaimed writer, writes in his book "The Psychopath Test," and Hollywood is preparing to film the story with Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. According to the writer-journalist, this psychopathic phenomenon is most common for the rich people. Let us pay attention to the fact that science defines the psychopath not as a confused personality but as a person with a particular device of the psyche, distinguished by the inability to perceive the foreign emotions, to experience compassion, which without any remorse is ready to cause pain and harm to the others.
Journalists from Business Insider analyzed the latest research data on this topic and selected the common features that bring together affable and successful people with psychopaths. The facts will make us unwittingly think about being rich or just being loved?

Absence of compassion

In 2008, during a study, scientists from the Universities of Amsterdam and California proved that more affluent people tend to exhibit weaker emotions in communication and in tragic situations such as deaths of their relatives, for example. During the experiment, volunteers unfamiliar with each other were divided into couples and asked to tell each other the most dramatic moments of their lives. By studying their reactions, scientists conclude that rich participants are too cool and show minimal compassion, unlike their less fortunate partners. The inability to be compassionate, according to scientists, is inherent in the majority of people with mental disorder.

Self-love and illusion of superiority

Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahnemann, a psychologist and researcher, explores the "success story" to some very affluent people and comes to the conclusion that the main role for their success is because of the luck. The rich people themselves, in the opinion of a scholar, did not realize or did not want to realize this, and said that everything was accomplished thanks to their hard work and unique habits and knowledge. "Illusion of Supremacy and Perfection"

Flattery, manipulation and fake charm

In the UK, psychologists have studied the main features of the 39 top managers and behaviors and, in parallel, those of convicted for a number of serious crimes. Scientists have found certain similarities in the psychological portraits of rich and criminals by several indicators. The main ones a tendency to manipulation and flattering to achieve a goal.

Without conscience

Psychopaths, as a rule, do not realize their bad actions and tend to blame others for their mistakes, that is the opinion of the author of the book, John Ronson. Remorse of conscience is something strange and incomprehensible to these people, he adds. In an interview with "Forbes", Ronson gives an example to the infamous businessman Albert Danp - former manager of the once successful Sunbeam corporation. The company's associates called him a flattering Cutter And all this because Albert loved to dismiss people without reason, depending on his mood. For his unhealthy passion for domination and suicide over his subordinates, the businessman is included in the rankings for the worst bosses of all time in "Time" magazine.

Egoism

It seems to us that wealthy people are obliged to be more generous than those with less money. To share his tremendous wealth for a good deed is logical, but is that really the case. Not really. A study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has invited people with different incomes. It turned out that lower-income people are willing to sacrifice and help the needy 44% more than their richer colleagues. In the course of the study, psychologists have found that not rich people tend to be spontaneously compassionate, while in rich people compassion never shows.

Unethical behavior

Like psychopaths, many well-behaved people have unethical behavior in their everyday work and life in general. Such are the data from the study, conducted at the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. The results read the following for the rich is typically to break the rules of road traffic and not to feel any remorse of conscience. And not just there.
To lie to partners, colleagues, relatives, cheating to improve their chances of success at all costs. And more - boredom and a sense of lack of "thrill" Most psychopaths are bored for most of their lives. As with most people, there is a constant lack of strong sensations. Many psychopaths tend to hurt loved ones and strangers to do bad things simply because of the dose of adrenaline, according to the scientific journal "Psychology Today"
Self-love, calculus, egoism and skill to manipulate these are not the only signs that characterize people with "unusual emotional background". Of the psychopaths, in general, there is also something to learn. For example, how to stay calm in critical situations and leave them unharmed.