ReThinking How to spot psychopaths and narcissists, with Leanne ten Brinke
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Mar 10, 2026 
Leanne ten Brinke, a social psychologist at UBC who studies narcissists, psychopaths and liars, joins the conversation. She explores behavioral cues like emotional contagion and inappropriate smiles. She outlines how dark traits show up in leadership, when to distance or manage, and practical tactics for setting boundaries and influencing difficult people.
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Dark Tetrad Is Four Flavors Of Antagonism
- The dark tetrad groups psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and sadism around shared callousness and manipulativeness.
- Leanne notes psychopathy is impulsive, Machiavellianism is strategic, narcissism is grandiose, and sadism enjoys others' pain.
Five Seconds Of Inappropriate Smiles Reveal Psychopathy
- Thin slices of behavior reveal psychopathy: mismatched verbal hostility with broad smiling is a cue.
- Leanne coded five-second clips and found inappropriate combinations of words and smiles signaled higher psychopathy.
Psychopathy Is Overrepresented But Not Dominant In CEOs
- Clinical-level psychopathy is slightly overrepresented among CEOs (≈3% vs 1% general population) but far more common in prison.
- Leanne cautions psychopathy doesn't reliably predict corporate success; many with it end up incarcerated.