Psychopaths and Their Eyes: What Do They Reveal?

We always look into the eyes of the person we are meeting for the first time. As they say, “the eyes are the windows to the soul”; you can always tell something about the person just by looking into their eyes. But what about looking at a psychopath? Can their eyes reveal something different? In this blog, we are going to explore the connection between psychopaths and their eyes. You won’t have to worry about hard-to-understand terminology because we are going to keep the explanations simple.

Who are Psychopaths?

Let us first define what a psychopath is. A psychopath is any person that has a personality condition, which makes them incapable of feeling guilt or empathy. They often do not give a second thought to people’s feelings and do not have emotional reactions like most people. Psychopaths are usually charming and can be quite intelligent but they use these same attributes in manipulating other people to their advantage.

Psychopaths may not behave violently or criminally, but they often have a pattern of behaviour that can be harmful to others. It can be termed as dishonesty, cheating, or even causing harm to others with absolutely no remorse. They can blend into society quite well, making it hard to spot them just by their behaviour, but understanding this personality disorder helps us to better grasp why there might be something different about the eyes of a psychopath.

Read More: What’s the Difference Between a Psychopaths and a Sociopaths?

The Eyes and Emotions

Our eyes play a big role in showing our emotions and expressing ourselves. When we are happy, our eyes sparkle or widen. When we are sad, our eyes may tear up or droop. In anger, we glare or narrow our eyes. Most people make these slight adjustments unconsciously. These are instinctive, natural reactions of our bodies to our feelings. However, psychopaths fail to display these normal reactions in the eyes because their emotional states are less similar to other people. A lack of emotions can sometimes give an “empty” or “cold” appearance to the eyes of a psychopath. People who have dealt with the eyes of psychopaths often describe the absence of typical human emotions in their eyes as strange or unnerving.

The Science Behind Psychopath’s Eyes

Science has suggested reasons for those “cold” eyes. One study noted that psychopaths tend to have less activity in the parts of the brain responsible for processing emotions, especially fear and empathy. In addition, research has indicated that psychopaths even react to fear differently. The pupils of most individuals dilate reflexively to show fear when they are terrorized or stressed. However, this is often lacking in psychopaths.

When a psychopath is presented with that to which other individuals would have fear, their pupils do not dilate. Psychopaths may become so dangerous because, unlike other people, they simply do not experience fear or do not absorb it, which could explain why their eyes seem so soulless and which allow them to take risks and hurt people without holding back.

The Eyes and Emotional Disconnect

Most psychopaths express an extreme emotional void, which is often reflected in their eyes. While most populations communicate emotions such as pleasure, sadness, or anger with their eyes, a psychopath rarely will. Their eyes can remain flat or unemotional, even in situations where most people would react strongly. Lacking empathy, psychopaths do not understand and care about others’ feelings; this is a core reason for their emotional disconnect.

Even in a situation where they see an individual sobbing or in agony, their eyes will not show empathy or sympathy. Alternatively, they may observe with a blank look or even a look of pleasure, interpreting the other person’s distress as a weakness that can be exploited.

The “Predatory Stare”

Another word that is quite common to describe psychopaths is “predatory stare.” It is used in describing that piercing, laser-like stare of psychopaths which comes out once in a while whenever they are sizing up a potential victim or when they try to manipulate/control somebody. It has been described as the predator’s unemotional, calculating stare at their victim.

Those at the receiving end of this stare report being uncomfortable by it, as it gives the sense of invading as if the psychopath was staring through them rather than at them. The stare is almost hard, not a blink being launched, which perhaps again informs more on how to exploit the victim rather than engaging with them on the human level.

Read More: What Goes on in a Psychopath’s Mind?

Can You Spot a Psychopath by Their Eyes?

The question could be, after reading all this, if one would be able to spot a psychopath by looking at him. This is not as easy of an answer. There may be some eye habits that can give them the predatory stare, lack of pupil dilation, and soulless eyes these are not 100% accurate in determining whether someone is a psychopath. Not all psychopaths necessarily have “cold” eyes, and not all psychopaths will show these traits in their eyes.

However, paying attention to someone’s eyes can provide clues. Something is not quite right when a person’s stare is consistently predatory, deceptive, or manipulative or if their eyes seem cold and soulless. Combined with other behaviours and traits, such as frequent lying, lack of remorse and empathy, manipulative behaviour may further help you identify if someone might be a psychopath.

The eyes of a psychopath may mirror their thoughts and indeed be windows into their minds revealing their emotional detachment and predatory instincts. A person’s eyes can give valuable clues, even when most of their expression does not give anything away regarding what they could be like. The better and sooner one understands these warning signs, the more it empowers an individual to protect themselves from the possible manipulative behaviours by those who can harm them with their charms.