Female psychopaths have this one particular characteristic

A recent study into the female psychopaths has been released and scientists found this specific trait that could help you identify one.

Researchers at the University of New Mexico spent over ten years collecting data from 2009 to 2019 for this study. A total of 213 women, ranging from 21 to 57 years old, were recruited from a medium-security prison in the United States. In the study, a series of head tracking algorithms were used to analyze recordings of women as they were being interviewed by the police. Amongst the women, one trait stood out above the rest: an absence of head movement.

According to the study, the lack of head movement of a woman during a conversation was found to be one of the most effective indicators for determining whether or not they were a psychopath. It has been found that "nonverbal behaviors, such as head movements, represent an important yet understudied form of communication that could enhance our ability to detect certain forms of psychopathology, including psychopathy," the study's authors at the University of New Mexico stated.

During the study, the researchers filmed the participants of the study and analyzed their head positions during each sequence to categorize movement into three categories: minimal, moderate, and extreme. In the videos, the head position was "evaluated frame by frame" during the interviews. From here, "the average head position was calculated using information" that was extracted from all of the images. Participants were also evaluated using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, which was developed by psychologist Robert D. Hare in the 1970s. This checklist consists of 20 items that will give individuals a score between one and 40. Scores above 30 indicate some form of psychopathy.

Through the use of the detection algorithm, the research team determined that women who keep their heads perfectly still, or with "minimal movement" during a conversation possess high levels of psychopathic tendencies. This information could be valuable for law enforcement, as psychopathy is often associated with a higher likelihood of re-offending.

Similarly to male psychopaths, women tend to keep their heads very still. This is likely an attempt to conceal body language cues that would otherwise reveal their psychotic behaviors. The researchers defined psychopathic traits as a combination of interpersonal dysfunctions, such as manipulation, pathological lying, insensitivity, lack of remorse, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and criminal versatility.