Psychopaths feel fear but do not recognise danger, study finds

Researchers claim those within the category are likely to have impairments in experiencing happiness and anger

Characteristics such as an inability to empathise, superficiality and insincerity are associated with the condition (Lions Gate Films)

Psychopaths do feel fear but do not recognise danger, according to new research.

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen found psychopaths have trouble detecting and responding to threats.

The team examined early works, dating back as far as 1806 and created a model that separated the brain mechanisms involved in responding to threats and experiencing fear.

“We show there is evidence that psychopathic individuals have deficits in threat detection and responsivity, but that the evidence for reduced subjective experience of fear in psychopathy is far less compelling,” the authors of the paper said.

The paper defines psychopathy as a personality disorder that is characterised by interpersonal manipulation, impulsive antisocial behaviour and recklessness.

Additional analysis carried out by the researchers found psychopaths were also likely to also have impairments in experiencing happiness and anger.

Authors of the study say the model used in the analysis can also be applied to work on mood and anxiety disorders.