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Study: States in US With the Most Psychopaths

Well, this is intriguing. The nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., has more psychopaths than any other area of the country, according to a new study. It could be explained by the high population density "or by the type of person who may be drawn a literal seat of power," according to Ryan H. Murphy, the author of the study from Southern Methodist University.

The study examined a cross section of the "big five" personality traits — extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism — and how they relate to psychopathy in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.

"The presence of psychopaths in the District of Columbia is consistent with the conjecture that psychopaths are likely to be effective in the political sphere," Murphy wrote in the study, adding that D.C. is an outlier because it is an entirely urban geographic area.

Behind D.C., the states with the most psychopaths were, respectively, Connecticut, California, New Jersey, and New York and Wyoming, which tied for No. 5.

Murphy pointed to the "odd placement" of Wyoming compared to neighboring states like Montana, which ranked 43rd, and Idaho, which ranked 22nd. He said one explanation is that Wyoming is the least-densely populated state in the contiguous United States, but he also suggested that big cities may hold a particular allure for psychopaths.

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