The Wisdom of Psychopaths

Psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that everyone sits somewhere on a scale of madness, and that functional psychopaths, unlike their murderous counterparts, rely on detached, unflinching and charismatic personalities to get ahead in ordinary society. Using advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, he compares a neurosurgeon who lacks empathy with a killer like Ted Bundy, and suggests that in some fields greater psychopathy goes with a greater chance of success. His reporting takes him into a high-security ward for the criminally insane, to a drink with a highly successful con artist, and through transcranial magnetic stimulation to feel how a psychopath sees. He contends that fearlessness, confidence, charm, ruthlessness and focus suit success in the 21st century.

Morgan Housel said it shows how much of an edge comes from staying unemotional about emotional subjects.