The Wisdom of Psychopaths

What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success

By: Kevin Dutton

Narrated by: Erik Bergmann

In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of "madness" along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, have the same nerveless poise as a titan of industry.

Dutton argues that there are indeed "functional psychopaths" among us—different from their murderous counterparts—who use their detached, unflinching, and charismatic personalities to succeed in mainstream society, and that shockingly, in some fields, the more "psychopathic" people are, the more likely they are to succeed. Dutton deconstructs this often misunderstood diagnosis through bold on-the-ground reporting and original scientific research as he mingles with the criminally insane in a high-security ward, shares a drink with one of the world's most successful con artists, and undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to discover firsthand exactly how it feels to see through the eyes of a psychopath.

As Dutton develops his theory that we all possess psychopathic tendencies, he puts forward the argument that society as a whole is more psychopathic than ever: after all, psychopaths tend to be fearless, confident, charming, ruthless, and focused—qualities that are tailor-made for success in the twenty-first century. Provocative at every turn, The Wisdom of Psychopaths is a riveting adventure that reveals that it's our much-maligned dark side that often conceals the trump cards of success.

©2012 Kevin Dutton (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The Wisdom of Psychopaths is an engaging and enlightening look at both the positive and negative sides of the personality characteristics that make up the diagnosis of psychopathy.” —Michael Shermer, The Wall Street Journal

“Dutton spins a solid yarn, turning what could easily have been a dry survey of psych research into entertainment.” —Scott Olster, Fortune (CNN Money)

“The Wisdom of Psychopaths is a surprising, absorbing, and perceptive book. Kevin Dutton has amassed a great deal of knowledge about these charming, cold, fearless, emotionally indifferent people, who are so attractive in some ways and so appalling in others, and set it out in a briskly readable prose studded with gripping anecdotes. I found it altogether fascinating.” —Philip Pullman, author of the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy

This book could have been one chapter

The subject matter is fascinating, but the 'new' information on psychopaths could have been summarized in a much shorter format.

Nice overview

Interesting read but occasionally seems to conflate Stoic/Buddhist philosophy — along with common street hustling — for true psychopathy. Little time is given to discuss environmental and social factors that influence “psychopathic” actions that many people might display, without actually being true psychopaths. Some time spent on elite military members being psychopaths without discussing their training or the dehumanization of their enemies, which may equally explain some of their behaviors and beliefs.

Shocking!

This was an excellent book, held my interest, revealed shocking things! The author takes you inside a mental institution, way to the very far reaches and he talks with psychopaths. He takes you inside elite military training. He talks with scientists who study psychopaths. This is all just so amazing and revealing. I never could have imagined that the traits of psychopaths could be positive such as "live in the moment" and not caring what others think. I read several books lately that changed my world view and this is one of them. Another one is The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. The narration is excellent. Thanks to the author Kevin Dutton for getting these ideas out there, and to all the scientists who did the studies, and even to the psychopaths in this book! Some of it reads like science fiction yet it is true. It is just mind blowing.

Excellent book

Got very deep into the science of psychopathy which was instructional. I enjoyed his trip to Broadmoor the most though

Magical and Insight ful!

A must read especially after the attack DC. What we thought a psycopath is may surprise you. The old cliche, beware of the normal looking and acting individual.

Am I a Psychopath? Are You?

As I listened to this book, I couldn’t help but think about students, family members, colleagues, and friends (as well as myself) as being on the psychopath spectrum. This is a fascinating and terrifying book!

In-Depth and Brilliantly Written

This book is to the point and insightful. It touches on many professions, from criminals to cops… and everyone between.

The psychotic dedication it takes to become a surgeon or a serial killer makes for a captivating read.

One of the best books I've listened to in a while

Where does The Wisdom of Psychopaths rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Super entertaining. Tons of interesting lessons. Inspiring (re: Tibetan monks). ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. Highly recommended for anybody who likes business, wants to grow, or likes interesting facts and stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

Everything

Great book with extraordinary information!

Lovely performance by the narrator. Not a single dull or boring moment throughout the book. A lot of science backed information, experiments along with the author's explanations. Truly amazing to understand how psychopaths think, behave and comprehend life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into behaviour science.

Una nueva perspectiva sobre los psicópatas

Este libro no es lo que esperaba con respecto a la descripción de un psicópata, en realidad vino a derrumbar preconceptos y lo que sabía de ellos.

Es más, creo que varios puntos del libro son muy benéficos para el día a día. El único problema es que el libro no los dice explícitamente, hay que deducirlos