In Jon Ronson's excellent book, 'The Psychopath Test', there is a very simple trick which you can use to ascertain whether or not you're a psychopath. If you are worried about the possibility of being a psychopath, then don't be, you aren't. Simply having the natural inclination to worry about the possibility of being a psychopath when the issue is raised is enough to show that you are not a psychopath. To actually determine whether someone is in fact a psychopath is slightly more difficult.
There are a few giveaway signs that may hint towards psychopathic tendencies; a difficulty empathising with others; deliberately going out of your way to sabotage social situations or if you just love to murder; these are pretty surefire indicators that you are a full on, bona fide lunatic.
Well according to a study conducted by New York University, if you are a fan of 'No Diggity' or 'Lose Yourself', you are more likely to be a dangerous brain-addled monster hell-bent on destroying yourself and all those around you. Here's No Diggity. Listen to it. If you enjoy it, flee. Flee from your family, from those around you. Flee to the hills and hide, perhaps in a forest, eating berries, surviving off the land removed from society, as you are a danger to it, you 'No Diggity' loving swine.
It revealed perhaps surprising results that, contrary to what we've seen in films such as Silence Of The Lambs or A Clockwork Orange, psychopaths don't have a massive penchant for classical music. In fact the two least popular genres among psychopaths are apparently classical music and jazz. People in the study, who displayed psychopathic tendencies, favoured more intense types of music, such as heavy metal and hard rap. Apparently, the people who's favoured song was 'My Sharona' by The Knacks, out of those studied, had the fewest psychopathic traits. So if your favourite song is 'My Sharona' good news! You are not a psychopath, now all you have to worry about are your very questionable music tastes.
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The results of the preliminary study were so useful in correlating psychopathic traits to types of music that the researchers believe that checking someone's playlist be a viable way of telling if they're a psychopath. Speaking to The Guardian about the study, Paul Wallisch, the lead researcher, said:
“The media portrays psychopaths as axe murderers and serial killers, but the reality is they are not obvious; they are not like The Joker in Batman. They might be working right next to you, and they blend in. They are like psychological dark matter.”
If there is mileage in the idea and song choices are shown to be a viable means of diagnosing psychopathy then who knows what other disorders may be detectable based on song choice. Maybe if you love the music of The Pet Shop Boys you're agoraphobic; if you own Ricky Martin's 'Best Of' you have obsessive compulsive disorder or if you've ever paid money for the music of Rebecca Black you are certifiably insane.
