Female psychopaths are more common than we think: professor

Tracy Swartz
·2 min read
Research suggests that male psychopaths outnumber female psychopaths by around 6 to 1, but a UK professor is claiming the ratio is actually about 1.2 to 1 -- up to five times higher.
Research suggests that male psychopaths outnumber female psychopaths by around 6 to 1, but a UK professor is claiming the ratio is actually about 1.2 to 1 -- up to five times higher.

“Misery” loves company.

Research suggests that male psychopaths outnumber female psychopaths by around 6 to 1, but a UK professor is claiming the ratio is actually about 1.2 to 1 — up to five times higher.

Dr. Clive Boddy, an Anglia Ruskin University professor who specializes in corporate psychopathy, argues that female psychopaths are flying under the radar because of gender bias.

“People generally attribute psychopathic characteristics to males rather than to females,” Boddy explained in a statement.

“So even when females display some of the key traits associated with psychopathy — such as being insincere, deceitful, antagonistic, unempathetic and lacking in emotional depth — because these are seen as male characteristics they may not be labeled as such, even when they should be,” he continued.

Boddy is set to present his research on the flaws of traditional psychopathy assessments at Anglia Ruskin’s Cambridge campus on March 16. The event will be streamed online.

Research suggests that male psychopaths outnumber female psychopaths by around 6 to 1, but a UK professor is claiming the ratio is actually about 1.2 to 1 — up to five times higher. Photographee.eu – stock.adobe.com
Research suggests that male psychopaths outnumber female psychopaths by around 6 to 1, but a UK professor is claiming the ratio is actually about 1.2 to 1 — up to five times higher. Photographee.eu – stock.adobe.com

“If female psychopathy expresses differently, then measures designed to capture and identify male [and] criminal psychopaths may be inadequate at identifying female, non-criminal psychopaths,” Boddy said.

He will detail how female psychopaths are more manipulative than males and how they make a good impression.

Boddy says they use deceit and seduction to gain social and financial advantage more than male psychopaths do.

“Female psychopaths tend to use words, rather than violence, to achieve their aims, differing from how male psychopaths tend to operate,” Boddy shared.

Dr. Clive Boddy, an Anglia Ruskin University professor who specializes in corporate psychopathy, argues that female psychopaths are flying under the radar because of gender bias. Feng Yu – stock.adobe.com
Dr. Clive Boddy, an Anglia Ruskin University professor who specializes in corporate psychopathy, argues that female psychopaths are flying under the radar because of gender bias. Feng Yu – stock.adobe.com

He added: “Female psychopaths, while not as severely psychopathic or as psychopathic as often as males are, have nevertheless been underestimated in their incidence levels and are therefore more of a potential threat to business and society than anyone previously suspected.”

Boddy, who has been researching the effects of psychopaths in the workplace since 2005, said not identifying female psychopaths has implications for the criminal justice system and organizational leadership.

“Female leaders cannot automatically be assumed to be more honest, caring and concerned with issues such as corporate social responsibility,” he reasoned.

“People generally attribute psychopathic characteristics to males rather than to females,” Boddy explained. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“People generally attribute psychopathic characteristics to males rather than to females,” Boddy explained. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Boddy’s presentation comes weeks after a Canadian study found that people who have a longer ring finger than index finger are more likely to have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder.

Other research ranked the states with the most psychopaths — Colorado, where “Misery” is set, only placed 19th.