Psychopathy and Other Dark Traits Show in People's Faces

Can you tell if someone is a narcissist—or even a psychopath—just by looking at their face? According to a new study, the answer is yes.

Researchers from Yasar, Baskent, and Kadir Has Universities in Turkey conducted three studies involving 880 participants from the United States and Turkey.

They found that people were able to accurately infer all three components of the so-called "dark triad"—psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism—based solely on looking at facial images of strangers.

Psychopathy—characterized by impulsivity, deceitfulness, and lack of empathy—was the most accurately inferred of the three traits. Participants looked at composite face images created from using images of individuals with extremely high or low scores on personality inventories, and participants wer