Researchers from the University of Winnipeg (Canada) found that people with severe psychopathy and sadism have blunted fear responses. The study was published on: magazine Scientific Reports.
The surprise response is a natural and involuntary physiological response characterized by a rapid, automatic and exaggerated response to a sudden and unexpected stimulus. Often these are physical reactions such as twitching, jumping, screaming and others. This reaction prepares the body to quickly respond to potential threats.
Previous research has shown that people with PTSD exhibit increased fear responses in both safe and dangerous situations. The authors of the current study wanted to examine the relationship between startle responses and a group of personality traits known as the Dark Four. The dark quadruple includes four negative personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. They predispose people to manipulative and harmful behavior towards others.
The experiment involved 150 students who were tested to assess their Dark Triad traits. Then the scientists tried to scare them: They were given photos from three groups (positive, neutral and negative) to look at and suddenly loud sounds were turned on.
“We conclude that people with high levels of sadism have a reduced startle reflex. These results provide further insight into the biological markers of Dark Tetrad traits and their unique aspects. The findings also have implications for fields beyond psychology, such as business and economics, where managerial performance and financial decision-making may be affected by personality.” “It contains,” he said.
Previously psychologist Moshnyatskaya listed mental health criteria.