Published 16:44 11 Nov 2025 GMT

Criminologist reveals the one behavior that proves someone is a psychopath

Often regarded as charming and plausible, psychopaths are good at hiding in plain sight - but a criminologist has revealed the key giveaway

Phoebe Tonks

Around 1 in every 100 people will be clinically diagnosed as a psychopath, but would you be able to spot one if you met them?

Traditionally, the signs of psychopathy may sometimes go undetected in our day-to-day interactions with those around us, and there are a few subtle signs that can go under everyone's nose, even by close friends or loved ones.

However, one criminologist has revealed the signs to look out for, and the key giveaway that your new friend or romantic partner may be a psychopath after all.

Sitting down with LADbible to answer some questions from the ‘Honesty Box’, Professor David Wilson began by explaining the core behaviours that sometimes make psychopaths harder to detect.

He said: “Psychopaths don’t have horns on their head or a long-pointed tail, if it were that easy, it would be easy to spot a psychopath.”

Professor David Wilson lifted the lid on the telltale sign of a psychopath (LADBibleStories / Youtube)

He then went on to describe psychopaths as being 'very good at mirroring behavior', adding: “They are very good at being plausible, at being charming.

“But effectively, you spot a psychopath because a psychopath needs to get close to you as quickly as possible.”

Elaborating further on why this proximity was so important, Professor Wilson explained: “If he gets close to you and learns about you, he can use that knowledge to manipulate you – because by manipulating you, he’s able to live off you.

“Psychopaths are very parasitical, they don’t want to spend too much energy and therefore they can live off you by knowing the buttons to press to impress you or to get money out of you.”

Although the label of ‘psychopath’ is thrown around frequently by people in modern conversations, the condition itself is incredibly rare.

Professor Wilson goes on to say that out of those 1 in 100 who are diagnosed as a psychopath, 9 out of 10 will be male, meaning that a disproportionate number of men compared to women are living with the condition.

What is a psychopath?

According to VeryWell Mind, a psychopath is a descriptor rather than a diagnosis in its own right and is typically used to refer to someone who is callous, unemotional and morally depraved.

It is often used in clinical and legal settings to refer to someone who is often egocentric, antisocial, lacking remorse and empathy for others, and sometimes has criminal tendencies.

Many of the personality traits associated with psychopathy overlap with another mental health condition called Antisocial Personality Disorder; however, only a very small number of individuals with antisocial personality disorder are actually classed as psychopaths.