The Wisdom of Psychopaths summary

In some situations, the psychopathic way of thinking resembles the utilitarian one. This school of thought puts the rational consideration of benefits vs. costs above everything else: every decision taken should be aimed at producing the greatest possible gain and the least possible suffering.

Non-psychopaths also take utilitarian actions in certain situations but feelings come into play in others and their decisions deviate from the choice which would provide the greatest possible gain. 

Most people spend a lot of time racking their brains about the possible consequences of their actions. Sometimes we can’t even bear to make a simple phone call – after all, we could say something wrong and make a fool of ourselves. Usually, we prefer to put the phone back on its receiver and wait a little while before we’ve cleared our heads. 

Psychopaths don’t think like that. They tend to act immediately rather than just sitting around thinking about acting. That’s because they have a low tolerance for boredom, among other things, and always need to keep themselves busy. Every activity is rewarding for them. 

In 2000, one study investigated how strongly former US presidents displayed several psychopathic traits. The researchers interviewed presidents’ biographers and looked into dogmas like, “I never feel guilty over hurting other people,” or, “You should take advantage of others before they do it to you.” In general, the qualities of the ex-presidents showed a strong tendency towards psychopathy – and Kennedy and Clinton were at the top of the list.

Aside from politicians, other people who have attained success also exhibit psychopathic qualities, such as an overly positive view of themselves, a strong persuasive ability, recklessness and a pronounced charm they use to win over others. 

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is famous for coining the term flow, or the ability to focus entirely on the here and now. This ability not only plays a key role in anti-stress and time-management courses, but also in Buddhism, where the goal of meditation is to become completely immersed in the moment. 

That makes it possible to manage a task calmly and intently without being distracted by disruptive thoughts or emotions. Psychopaths seem to be born with this ability. Perceptions that have nothing to do with the task at hand will not make it through their filter of consciousness. 

People who lack psychopathic traits altogether spend a lot of time worrying about all the things that could happen. As a result, they often wait to make decisions instead of taking fate into their own hands.

However, psychopaths’ inclination to act quickly tends to result more often in success. Because what makes the average Joe worry so much doesn’t come into play in 99 percent of cases. It would almost always be smarter to act than to freeze up in fear. 

A lot of what appears natural today was unimaginable just a few decades ago. The rapid spread of the internet – and pornography and violent games along with it – is only one of the decisive points that have shaped the younger generation. 

Studies conclude that today’s Generation Me is more egocentric, competitive and narcissistic than any before it. Young people are getting accustomed to having superficial virtual friendships and seeing lots of violence on television and in video games. Today’s youth also emulate pop stars who often display psychopathic tendencies.

Many psychopathic traits are advantageous in the world of sports: if you have no fear and can concentrate fully on one thing, you can train more effectively and perform better in competitions. And that can be applied to almost all areas of life. 

Meditation is one way to practice absorbing ourselves in the here and now. By meditating, we can learn to disengage from ourselves and take a step back. There are many other techniques that can help develop a contemplative ability. For instance, golfer Louis Oosthuizen was able to win a tournament in 2010 by concentrating on a small red dot on his glove near his thumb the whole time. He won by a substantial margin. 

True criminal psychopaths cannot just decide to behave psychopathically or not. They always follow their psychopathic tendencies. 

But things look completely different for successful, functional psychopaths. They can activate the “positive” characteristics of psychopathy – e.g., their charm, their recklessness and their inclination to act – in certain moments where they’re useful, but also withhold them in certain situations where they might do more harm than good. In this way, they’re able to obtain a private benefit from their psychopathic tendencies without running the risk of ending up in prison.