Four signs someone could be a psychopath as FBI agent says they’re nearly impossible to spot

Joe Navarro came across his fair share of unsavoury characters while working at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for 25 years.

But despite being a world-leading body language expert with a former career as a spy catcher, he believes it is 'not really' possible to spot a psychopath in your midst.

And if he can't sniff them out, you'd think no one can - however, other experts have identified some common traits that could give you forewarning about who you might be dealing with.

Navarro, 73, recently sat down with LADbible's Honesty Box to share some of his tricks of the trade.

Given that he's been in the company of questionable individuals throughout the course of his career, he's well-versed in subtle behaviours that can indicate someone's true colours.

He joined the FBI when he was just 23 and went on to spend a quarter of a century there, working in both counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

The former FBI agent reckons psychopaths can be very difficult to detect (YouTube/@LADBible Stories)

Navarro says the job allowed him to 'study, refine and apply the science of nonverbal communications'. He was also one of the founding members of the National Security Behavioural Programme.

You might think that all of this makes him the perfect person to sense who is a psychopath, but according to Navarro, it's nigh on impossible for anyone to do this.

The term describes a person who has a severe form of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), according to the NHS, which is 'characterised by impulsive, irresponsible and often criminal behaviour'.

Navarro told Honesty Box that these folks 'clearly have no conscience', saying: "They're not bound by rules or by the letter of the law.

"And they tend to be the ones that you see coming through the system, ending up in jail over and over, doing terrible things."

Psychopaths also tend to be cunning individuals, and it is this quality which Navarro believes makes them so difficult to detect.

He suggested that people would have never suspected notorious killer Ted Bundy of being a psychopath (Getty/Bettmann)

When asked whether it is ever possible to spot one, the former FBI agent said: "Not really, because you have some that are very functional.

"Ted Bundy was a psychopath and very handsome, very good looking. He was very erudite, the judges loved him.

"But if he was walking down the street, could you point and say, 'Well, there goes a psychopath?'

"You really have to observe their behaviours and how they treat others and how they view others and whether or not they have a conscience."

Navarro, who was born in Cuba, believes they are quite brilliant at pulling the wool over peoples eyes and masking their unsavoury behaviours.

But according to Psychology Today, there are four common traits that psychopaths often display which can help you spot them.

Referencing to research published last year by the University of Alabama which compares the latent profiles of psychopathy in the general population, the report explains there were some common characteristics that cropped up.

This includes:

• Callous/cunning - A person who may be manipulative, deceitful and even charming to get what they want, without any concern for the potential consequences
• Sociopathic/externalising - Acting out due to their distress, meaning they may display impulsive behaviour, physical or verbal aggression, or abuse substances
• A 'prototypic' psychopath - Referring to a person who fits the textbook definition of a psychopath with their lack of empathy, shallow emotions and unsavoury personality
• A 'general offender' - This term describes a person who has landed themself in trouble with the law due to their reckless behaviour, who also exhibits all the hallmarks of a psychopath

Although this isn't a definitive list, it's certainly some food for thought.