To test the hypothesis, the researchers looked at 52 men in Canadian prisons for murder. Of that group, 14 were diagnosed as psychopaths; 38 were in a group that was not. Each was asked to verbally describe their crime in detail, and the transcription was analyzed with a computer.
The psychopaths used more conjunctions such as “because,” “since,” or “so that,” which all imply that a crime was necessary. They also used twice as many words that related to physical needs like food, money or sex. In fact, some described what they had to eat on the day of the crime.
People who weren’t psychopaths used words that reflected social needs, speaking of their spirituality, religion or family.
The psychopaths tested also tended to use the past tense more and pause often when they spoke (using “ums” a lot).
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