When we think about infamous fictional psychopaths, like the chillingly calculating Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, they often embody the image of a scammer. But what about real-life psychopaths?

Research indicates that psychopaths are more inclined to lie to achieve their goals, exhibiting remarkable fearlessness, almost as if they have ice in their veins.

You might assume that their cold demeanor makes it hard to detect their deceit. Surprisingly, studies suggest that psychopaths are not significantly better at lying than others.

For instance, a study from the 1980s revealed that convicted psychopaths were easily identifiable, much like non-psychopaths using lie detectors. However, it’s important to note that while lie detector tests are commonly employed, they are notoriously unreliable.

In a more recent 2016 study, researchers found that criminals tend to lie frequently. Notably, psychopaths often exhibit a heightened tendency to lie during psychological tasks. Yet, they still encounter cognitive costs from lying, such as making more errors and responding more slowly.

Though psychopaths lack the moral and emotional barriers that typically hinder lying for most people, they cannot escape the psychological challenges associated with creating believable lies.

Interestingly, while psychopaths may not have a natural talent for lying, there is emerging evidence that they can learn to become more effective liars.

A 2017 study discovered that students with high psychopathic traits demonstrated significant improvement during tasks that required them to lie convincingly. They could lie faster than others, indicating that the mental strain of lying decreases along with reduced neural activity related to deceit.

In summary, psychopaths may not excel at lying initially, but they have a propensity to lie more frequently and improve at it more swiftly than others.

This article addresses the question posed by Lyle Morse via email: “Are psychopaths really good at lying?”

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