Study finds you're more likely to be a psychopath if you had these three traits as a child

Experts have found three traits that could mean a child is more likely to be a psychopath.

Parents might want to perk up and have a read, in case their child is displaying any behaviours which could mean that they could be the next Hannibal Lecter.

Apparently, children can display these as early as three years old, and it would mean that they're at higher risk of displaying the mental condition known as psychopathy.

Firstly, the condition can be defined as a personality disorder where people act selfishly, lack empathy, or behave in reckless, sometimes criminal ways, though there are also warning signs for adults that may fall into this category.

According to research from Professor Essi Viding, these traits don't mean that your child is certain to become a psychopath, but instead that it could lead there if not properly addressed.

Raising the next blood-thirsty serial killer is something most would want to avoid (Getty Stock Image)

They aren't linked to what a 'naughty' child may do, such as throwing a tantrum, but instead they will have what's known as conduct disorder, as well as callous-unemotional (CU) traits.

Viding's team studied young children, including twins, to determine whether environmental factors or genetics played a role.

They observed emotions and their handling of frustration while analysing brain activity and health signs like heart rate to see how they processed emotions.

From this scientific study, three traits were found for children between the ages of three and four that could indicate psychopathy in the future.

Lack of emotions

The experts observed that some kids didn't feel bad when they saw someone sad or hurt, while not caring if they stole someone's toy, and they cried in response.

This lack of an emotional reaction in the presence of someone's pain was a red flag.

Failing to connect actions with punishments

Some children didn't learn from being punished, as they would lose privileges or be given a time-out, only to go back and do harmful things regardless.

It's a sign of them not being able to recognise that they were doing something wrong or that there was a reason they were told off.

Not caring about pleasing others

The majority of children observed enjoyed and liked to make friends and parents happy, but some only cared about what they wanted.

They didn't get any joy from other people being happy, as Viding told The Telegraph: "You do not get a full-blown personality disorder as a birthday present when you turn 18, so there are clearly children who have these sorts of traits from a very young age.

"Identifying these children early on doesn't mean you can definitely predict that someone will become an adult psychopath, but these are the children likely to be at an increased risk compared with their peers."

Nobody wants their kid to be the next Patrick Bateman (Starz Entertainment)

The study was published in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, which also found that these traits are linked to family genes.

Identical twins were more likely to have CU traits in comparison to fraternal twins, for example.

Genetic makeup also had a role, as it was found that differences in brain activity could signal psychopathy, such as in areas like the amygdala.

Viding advised that parents can do three things to stop their children from becoming psychopaths - these include being warm and loving, therapy, and early action.

"With any behaviour, the more rooted it gets, the more difficult it becomes to intervene," the professor pointed out.

She went on: "But we know that interventions in adolescents and adults can also work, so the message should not be that if you don't get there in the first five years, it's useless."