Study links psychopathic traits to thrill-seeking in fear, not distress
New research suggests people with elevated psychopathic traits experience excitement rather than fear when facing frightening situations.
What to know
- New research suggests people with psychopathic traits experience thrill rather than fear in frightening situations, offering a window into how personality shapes emotional response.
- Social media discussion reveals disagreement over whether the study adequately captures psychopathy—commenters argue it involves more than emotional response, including lack of empathy and ethical disregard.
- The finding remains preliminary and circulating primarily through science news outlets and social platforms.
The dispute Whether the research's focus on fear-response thrill accurately captures the clinical definition of psychopathy or oversimplifies it by omitting empathy deficits and moral disregard. · positions read across 3 posts and comments
Psychopathy is defined by more than emotional response—it includes lack of empathy and ethical disregard for others.
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“That's the opposite of what I've read. What I've read says that lacking any sort of ethical framework is part of the criteria to be a psychopath, it's not just about emotion, it's about a lack of caring about others at all.”
grapescherries · reddit ↗
Psychopathy and sociopathy are distinct disorders with specific behavioral and emotional characteristics, possibly including violent tendencies.
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“A sociopath from my understanding is someone who lacks empathy and has trouble with feelings. A psychopath is an upgraded version that has violent tendencies.”
JefferyGoldberg · reddit ↗
PsyPost Science journalism outlet
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Redditors debate the definition and scope of psychopathy
Comments challenge the research framing, with users arguing that psychopathy involves more than emotional responses—specifically a lack of ethical framework and disregard for others' wellbeing.
“That's the opposite of what I've read. What I've read says that lacking any sort of ethical framework is part of the criteria to be a psychopath, it's not just about emotion, it's about a lack of caring about others at all.”
— grapescherries -
That’s the opposite of what I’ve read. What I’ve read says that lacking any sort of ethical framework is part of the criteria to be a psychopath, it’s not just about emotion, it’s about a lack of caring about others at all, and a disregard for societal expectations of behavior.
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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sociopath or psychopath A sociopath from my understanding is someone who lacks empathy and has trouble with feelings. A psychopath is an upgraded version that has violent tendencies. I have no idea if this is consistent with surgeons, but I know it applies to CEOs.
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Study circulates on Reddit with full title
The research article is shared on Reddit with an expanded headline emphasizing how personality traits shape emotional responses to fear.
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PsyPost publishes research on psychopathic traits and fear response
A psychology study finds that people with elevated psychopathic traits may enjoy fear because they experience thrill and excitement rather than distress when facing frightening situations.
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1 outlet first by PsyPost, 13d ago · read ↗
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DATE: October 26, 2026 at 08:00AM SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. ** ------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Why do people with psychopathic traits enjoy fear? New psychology research offers…
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