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It seems like you’ve shared an interesting article about the "myth" of the psychopathic master deceiver. Based on the text provided, here is a breakdown of the key findings regarding whether psychopaths are actually better at lying.
The Core Finding
Contrary to the "Patrick Bateman" stereotype, psychopaths are not naturally better liars than the general population. While they lack the emotional "brakes" (guilt or fear) that stop most people from lying, they still face the same cognitive load—the mental effort required to keep a story straight.
Evidence from Research
The article highlights three specific areas of study that challenge the "master deceiver" trope:
| Study Period | Key Finding |
| 1980s | Psychopaths were just as easily caught by lie detector tests as non-psychopaths (though the article notes these tests themselves are often unreliable). |
| 2016 | High-trait individuals made more errors and took longer to respond when lying, showing that lying is still mentally taxing for them. |
| 2017 | This study found a "twist": while they aren't born better liars, they may be faster at learning how to lie efficiently over time. |
The "Twist": Speed of Learning
The most fascinating part of the text is the 2017 study involving students. It suggests that with practice, individuals with high psychopathic traits:
Improved their lying speed significantly faster than their peers.
Showed reduced brain activity over time, suggesting that the act of lying became less "taxing" for their brains much sooner than it did for others.
Summary
In short: Psychopaths aren't "gifted" liars; they are just prolific liars who can train their brains to handle the mental strain of deception more quickly than the average person.
Would you like me to help you summarize this into a shorter format, or perhaps find more recent studies on the "cognitive load" of deception?
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