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Study links psychopathy to bacteria
New York Post • • technology
Key Points:
- A new study led by Carolina Costa from the University of Porto suggests a link between certain gut bacteria and subclinical psychopathic personality traits, marking the first exploration of this association.
- The research involved 200 healthy adults who completed a psychopathy survey and provided blood, saliva, and fecal samples for microbial analysis.
- Higher levels of three gut bacteria—Allisonella, Prevotella, and Cloacibacillus evryensis—were found to correlate with increased psychopathic traits, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
- The study proposes that these microbes may influence psychopathy through inflammation and chemical production affecting impulse control, but it emphasizes that correlation does not imply causation.
- Researchers caution that further investigation is necessary before any definitive conclusions can be drawn about the biological roots of psychopathy related to gut microbiota.
