Book Post 1

            For the second quarter, I choose to tackle the book The Wisdom of Psychopaths written by Kevin Dutton. The main reason I choose this book was because of the title that hooked me in right away, however after reading the first fifty pages, there is more to this book than what meets the eye. The first chapter taught me all about the brain and thinking of a psychopath, and how contrary to popular belief, the brain of a psychopath is very similar to that of a normal person.  Dutton’s next point was where the difference came in. Dutton discussed how psychopaths don’t feel the emotions that a normal person may feel. This is what makes them so ruthless and cold. Psychopath’s emotions don’t get in the way of their thinking. This is what allowed men like John Gacy and Ted Bundy to be mass-murderers and feel no remorse. In another study done by Dutton, he also discovered that unlike the average person, another person’s emotions would not affect a psychopath. A psychopath doesn’t feel anxiety in a high stress situation or get scared when the people surrounding them are afraid. They can pick up on the fear and anxiety of other people but the brain of a psychopath won’t feel these emotions. . Dutton also talked about how there are many psychopaths in the world and they aren’t all murderers and rapists. CEO’s, spies, surgeons, and politicians all showed very similar traits to those of psychopaths. These jobs all represent areas of work where you need to be fearless, ruthless, charming and focused to be a success. Dutton provided an interesting fact about one job in particular: the president. When tested, many of the leaders of this country showed signs of psychopathic traits. Dutton hasn’t fully explained yet, but it is clear to see that we have the ability to learn from psychopaths and I am excited to see where he takes this idea next.