Science shows us that people with such traits simply think and feel differently, enabling them to act in morally corrupt ways. A lack of empathy has long been seen as a hallmark feature of psychopathy and, to some extent, narcissism<\/a>.<\/p>\n But psychologists have recently discovered a group of people with so-called \u2018dark personality traits\u2019, such as psychopathy and narcissism, but also above average levels of empathy, dubbed dark empaths.<\/p>\n This could make them dangerous in everyday situations as they could use their empathy<\/a> to mask selfish intentions. It\u2019s immediately clear how a dark empath could be dangerous, using their empathy to manipulate others or to mask their selfish, even sinister, intentions.<\/p>\n They would perhaps be less Bundy and more Pedro Rodrigues Filho, the Brazilian vigilante who specialised in murdering suspected criminals and whose story inspired the fictional serial killer Dexter.<\/p>\n After being released from prison in 2007, Rodrigues claimed to have stopped killing and even started speaking out against crime.<\/p>\n The full-blown clinical disorders of narcissistic personality disorder and clinical psychopathy (sometimes known as psychopathic personality disorder) are estimated to affect one to five per cent and one per cent of the population, respectively.<\/p>\n Clinical levels of psychopathy are particularly common among criminals such as serial killers, with an estimated 15 to 25 per cent of male prisoners in the US believed to possess them<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the simple truth is we all have a dark side. Many of us are a bit narcissistic or have some psychopathic traits without necessarily suffering from a disorder. Hence, psychologists prefer to view these darker aspects of ours as personality traits rather than disorders.<\/p>\n Dr Nadja Heym<\/a>, associate professor of personality psychology and psychopathology at Nottingham Trent University, explains that these traits aren\u2019t necessarily something you either have or don\u2019t have, like a broken leg, for example.<\/p>\n Instead, everyone\u2019s traits exist somewhere on the continuum<\/a>. Psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies can be triggered by certain situations, get stronger or weaker over time and express themselves differently in different people.<\/p>\n Darkness within<\/p>\n The extent of our dark traits can be measured by questionnaires that have been designed to evaluate what scientists call the \u2018dark triad\u2019 of personality traits.<\/p>\n Added to psychopathy (callousness, recklessness and impulsivity) and narcissism (egocentrism with a sense of grandiosity), the triad is completed by Machiavellianism<\/a> (being socially manipulative and calculating for one\u2019s own ends or to gain power).<\/p>\n The majority of people will score fairly low on the dark triad, but about a third will have elevated levels significantly above average. The majority of people with these elevated dark traits are unlikely to be criminals, although they may be unpleasant to be around.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are people who probably have quite high self-confidence, are quite bolshy, quite assertive; people who get their way,\u201d says Heym. \u201cThey might not be the friendliest people and they do things that are good for their own goals even if that means overstepping others.\u201d<\/p>\n But, as Heym points out, there are also problems for those people who are low on dark traits, such as finding it difficult to be heard. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say \u2018pushover\u2019, but that\u2019s the general term people would use to refer to them.\u201d<\/p>\n A surprising discovery<\/p>\n Heym first came across dark empaths in 2021 while investigating dark traits in almost 1,000 people in the UK.<\/p>\n Her team had asked participants to complete a test to measure dark traits, as indicated by how much they agree with statements such as \u2018most people can be manipulated\u2019, \u2018people who mess with me always regret it\u2019, \u2018people see me as a natural leader\u2019 and \u2018it\u2019s not wise to tell your secrets\u2019.<\/p>\n This research was then combined with surveys assessing levels of aggression and two types of empathy: affective empathy (which involves feeling the emotions of others) and cognitive empathy (being able to understand how others feel or think and take their perspective).<\/p>\n What Heym and her team found was surprising. While there was a traditional dark triad group, with high levels of dark traits and low self-reported scores on empathy (about 13 per cent of the sample), they also found another group with high scores on dark traits<\/a>, but above-average scores on both types of empathy (about 20 per cent).<\/p>\n The existence of this dark empath group seemed to clash with previous research that suggests the dark triad is linked to low empathy. Both dark groups reported being more aggressive than the people with low levels of dark traits, with the traditional dark triad group (low empathy) edging it.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t referring to serial-killing levels, though: participants were only measured on indirect aggression, such as socially excluding others, making them feel guilty or making malicious jokes at their expense.<\/p>\n Indirect aggression was used in this study, Heym explains, as it\u2019s more gender-neutral and widespread, and so produces more data. People with high levels of dark traits would also be more prone to violence than others, however. To assess the dark traits, Heym and her team used a scale from zero to five.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about pathological levels. There may have been individuals who scored particularly high, but in general they were somewhat above the mean,\u201d she stresses.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople would normally average at around 2.5, but these groups scored on average around 3.5.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of the sample had low levels of dark traits and varying levels of empathy. There was a \u2018typical group\u2019 (34 per cent of the sample) with low levels of dark traits and average levels of empathy, and an \u2018empaths group\u2019 (33 per cent) with low levels of dark traits, but high levels of empathy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a good study because it was the first to analyse the relationship between empathy and dark traits,\u201d says Dr Emanuele Fino<\/a>, a psychologist at Queen\u2019s University Belfast, who was not involved in the research. \u201cIt really stimulated a debate.\u201d<\/p>\n Hidden dangers<\/p>\n So, given that about one in five people is expected to be a dark empath, the chances that all of us know a few are high.<\/p>\n This raises a number of questions, such as just how dangerous can they be? And what are the signs that can help us spot a dark empath? In terms of the second question, it comes partly down to their specific combination of traits.<\/p>\n Most people with dark traits are charismatic<\/a> and if they\u2019re high on narcissism, their constant boasting may reveal them. Chances are they\u2019re also vain, whether strutting around in full armour of designer gear or sporting a carefully curated scruffy look.<\/p>\n For those with high levels of psychopathy, on the other hand, they may go on about themselves less, but they can appear more sinister. They may be unsettlingly unpredictable, deceitful and lack a moral compass.<\/p>\n They may also care little about what others think about them, says Heym. And while Machiavellianism is the most common of the dark traits, it\u2019s probably the hardest to identify.<\/p>\n These people seem nice, but they\u2019re master manipulators, constantly working behind the scenes to expand their power through rumours, using information against others, spreading misinformation<\/a> and befriending powerful people that can help them advance.<\/p>\n So how does empathy affect the mix? In Heym\u2019s study, the dark empaths were the most extroverted<\/a>, so they\u2019re social and outgoing, and while this could simply reflect their love of going to parties, there may be a murkier motive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s likely down to their desire to dominate others and to show their power,\u201d suggests Fino. This idea is supported by the study, in which the dark empath group, along with the traditional dark triad, was the least agreeable (friendly, kind and altruistic).<\/p>\n Rather than caring about others, dark empaths, in Fino\u2019s view, may make use of their empathy strategically for their own benefit. Backing this up are the results of a previous study investigating empathy in narcissists.<\/p>\n By measuring their heart rates as they watched videos of people talking about their trauma, researchers found that the participants could show real empathy<\/a>, but only if they were asked to take the perspective of the subject of the video.<\/p>\n This suggests they have the capacity for empathy, but often choose not to use it. According to both Heym and Fino, it\u2019s the very fact that dark empaths have empathy that makes them difficult to identify, which ultimately makes them so potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n Their outward displays of empathy, or ability to sometimes regulate their behaviour, can help make them appear \u2018normal\u2019, meaning they may not leave an obvious trail of destruction in their wake.<\/p>\n Instead, in Heym\u2019s view, those around them are left with a vague feeling that \u201cthere\u2019s something not quite right about that person.\u201d That said, dark empaths are more likely to be found out in a romantic relationship, especially if they\u2019re around long enough for cracks to appear.<\/p>\n Repeated cheating and lying breaking promises, aggressive behaviour and abusive control, for example, are not uncommon. \u201cThey may seem really nice and caring, and then suddenly they just do these horrible things and it\u2019s really confusing,\u201d says Heym.<\/p>\n Another area where you might find a dark empath is in a position of power, which attracts people with dark traits generally. \u201cThese people seek power for the sake of being powerful, for the sake of dominating,” says Fino.<\/p>\n Dark drive<\/p>\n Recently, Heym has attempted to replicate her 2021 findings with a study of nearly 800 American participants<\/a>.<\/p>\n The preliminary results, yet to be published but presented at scientific conferences, support her previous outcomes. They also provide some additional clues. This time, her team found that the levels of aggression in the dark empath group were nearly on par with the traditional dark triad group \u2013 making them just as dangerous.<\/p>\n The researchers looked at how driven the various groups were and discovered that the dark empath group was significantly more goal-orientated and hungry for success than the others, including the dark triad.<\/p>\n Similarly, they were more fun-seeking and responsive to rewards, which suggests they may be more open to taking risks. \u201cThey\u2019re go-getters, or what we refer to as \u2018successful psychopaths\u2019,\u201d says Heym.<\/p>\n But while it\u2019s sometimes said that a fifth of all CEOs are psychopaths, it\u2019s a myth that most psychopaths go for such jobs, she adds. \u201cWith [traditional] psychopathy, we wouldn\u2019t expect a lot of achievement drive; they often don\u2019t really care to do well. But if they do want something, then they\u2019ll go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n When traditional psychopaths do have drive, however, there\u2019s a high risk that they\u2019ll fail. If you\u2019re unpredictable, aggressive and lacking in morals, the chances are other people will eventually complain about you being a bully or a fraud.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve all seen people who have become leaders in a short time, but then they\u2019ve collapsed because maybe they\u2019ve been involved in scandals or lied,\u201d says Fino.<\/p>\n Indeed, it\u2019s not hard to think of such cases in the world of politics. The danger with dark empaths is that they can hide more easily and create less chaos. \u201cNot all dark empaths will become an important person, a CEO or a politician<\/a>,\u201d says Fino.<\/p>\n \u201cBut those who do are perhaps the most dangerous individuals because they\u2019re able to disguise their personality and do that in a way that people believe even in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n There does appear to be a limit to what dark empaths can achieve, however. Heym and Fino collaborated recently to test whether people with dark traits can also be high in emotional intelligence, which is ultimately linked to success in the workplace.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dark-Empaths-3.jpg\")
The Dark Empath – Credit: Sam Falconer<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dark-empath-2.jpg\")
Dark empaths are – Credit: Sam Falconer<\/p>\n