Table of contents:
- What is a psychopath, exactly?
- Take a peek at the psychopathic taste of music
- Can it detect the psychopathic nature of one's taste in music?
When you hear the word psychopath, you may immediately imagine a cruel person who has no compassion for others. These things fall into the criteria of a psychopath. However, detecting the nature of psychopathy in a person is not that simple.
Recent research from New York University in the United States (US) tries to further examine whether there are additional criteria that can detect the presence of psychopathic disorders. In this study, a person's taste in music became the standard. Can you detect a psychopath by his taste in music? Find out the answer below.
What is a psychopath, exactly?
A psychopath is someone who is manipulative and easily wins the trust of others. Psychopaths learn to imitate emotions, which they don't really feel, and will appear to be normal people.
A psychopath is often well educated and has a stable job. Some are even so good at manipulating and hiding their psychopathic traits that they have family and other long-term relationships without anyone knowing their true nature.
This disorder can be caused by genetic disorders that are inherited from birth, but it can also be influenced by the environment in which a person grew up. For example, if a person has experienced serious psychological trauma.
Take a peek at the psychopathic taste of music
According to a study published in the daily The Guardian, indeed the owner of a psychopathic nature likes certain music genres. Although often described as liking classical music, psychopaths actually like popular music.
In a study conducted by a team from New York University, about 200 people were tested to determine their psychopathic score. Then they played 260 different songs.
Participants were then asked to rate each song and the researchers pulled the data and correlated it with the respondents' psychopathic scores. The genres most favored by psychopaths are rap, R&B, followed by rock music. In contrast, participants with low psychopathic scores tended to like pop songs.
Researchers found that people who scored high on tests for psychopathy tended to score higher on songs like No Diggity by Blackstreet (R&B genre) and Lose Yourself from Eminem (rap genre).
Meanwhile, those on the edge of the psychopathy spectrum tend to be song fans My Sharona from The Knacks and Titanium by Sia. Both of them fit into the pop-rock genre and dance.
Can it detect the psychopathic nature of one's taste in music?
The simple answer is, no. It is impossible to detect any psychological disorder from one's taste in music alone. Psychological disorders, including psychopathy, have so far been detected only through a series of tests by mental health specialists and psychologists.
The experts behind the study emphasize that these are preliminary and unpublished results. However, researchers were interested enough to launch a large study in which thousands of people across the psychopathy spectrum would be asked about their taste in music.
The aim of this research is to find a way to quickly detect a psychopath. Researchers believe that songs can help predict who has the disorder, which affects about 1 percent of people. However, this research still needs to be further developed.
