Scientists Discover Instant Psychopath Identifier

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Researchers at the University of New Mexico have conducted the first study into identifying psychopathic traits in women, finding that those scoring high on psychopathy tend to exhibit more stationary head positioning during conversations compared to others.

Why it matters

This research could provide a new tool for identifying psychopathic individuals, which is important given the potential risks they may pose to others. Understanding psychopathic tendencies in women specifically is also valuable, as past studies have focused more on men.

The details

The study involved observing recordings of 213 incarcerated women during police interviews and using image processing and machine learning to analyze their head movements. The researchers found that women with higher psychopathic traits displayed less head movement and a more stationary head position compared to those with lower psychopathic traits.

• The study was conducted by researchers at the University of New Mexico's Department of Psychology in Albuquerque.
• The findings were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences in February 2026.

What’s next

The researchers note that further study is needed to determine if these head movement patterns are also observable in women's day-to-day interactions, not just in a research setting.