How do we recognize the remorseless? One of their chief characteristics is a kind of glow or charisma that makes sociopaths more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They’re more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than everyone else, making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced.
I don’t know how much scientific evidence there is to back up the claims in this book but I remembered hearing about it when I read your post.
Hmm. My remark appears to have been overly strong.
It has no publicly-knownscientifically-rigorous basis in evidence—it may be true, but it’s not widely claimed to be. This is still sufficiently like unto brazil84′s claim to be comparable.
First of all, I wanted to create a claim which was similar in scope, strength, and kind. Pretty people are probably no more common than black people in the First World; the proposed difference is not an on-or-off switch, but a statistical distinction; and it relates to genetic effects on personality.
Second, I wanted it to be similarly provocative to brazil84′s claim. It is widely considered bad to call people stupid; it is widely considered bad to call people sociopaths.
Third, it is not inconceivable that someone could draw the conclusion. Numerous studies have shown that pretty people are considered better people than ugly people given the same actions; therefore it is possible for pretty people to get away with being worse.
Fourth, brazil84 is likely not to believe it is true—and, in fact, likely to believe it is unlikely. The point of the exercise is to suggest something which would require strong, non-obvious evidence to convince, precisely because the people brazil84 seeks to convince demand strong, non-obvious evidence.
I agree with this as a commensurate claim, but I’m curious about where the specific example came from.
I made it up to be commensurate—it has no visible basis in evidence. I could try to reverse-engineer the details of my thought-processes, if you like.
Are you sure? The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us
I don’t know how much scientific evidence there is to back up the claims in this book but I remembered hearing about it when I read your post.
Hmm. My remark appears to have been overly strong.
It has no publicly-known scientifically-rigorous basis in evidence—it may be true, but it’s not widely claimed to be. This is still sufficiently like unto brazil84′s claim to be comparable.
I would indeed so like, if it’s not too much trouble.
First of all, I wanted to create a claim which was similar in scope, strength, and kind. Pretty people are probably no more common than black people in the First World; the proposed difference is not an on-or-off switch, but a statistical distinction; and it relates to genetic effects on personality.
Second, I wanted it to be similarly provocative to brazil84′s claim. It is widely considered bad to call people stupid; it is widely considered bad to call people sociopaths.
Third, it is not inconceivable that someone could draw the conclusion. Numerous studies have shown that pretty people are considered better people than ugly people given the same actions; therefore it is possible for pretty people to get away with being worse.
Fourth, brazil84 is likely not to believe it is true—and, in fact, likely to believe it is unlikely. The point of the exercise is to suggest something which would require strong, non-obvious evidence to convince, precisely because the people brazil84 seeks to convince demand strong, non-obvious evidence.