Author and neuroscientist Dr. James Fallon joins Tim to talk about the dark side of the human brain and how common psychopathy may really be throughout society. And his story has a twist. Dr. Fallon is a neuroscientist, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior, and an author of the book, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain.”
I’m going to say a word, and I want you to focus on the first thing that comes to mind. Are you ready? OK, here’s the word.
Psychopath.
What came to mind. Did you think about a killer? Perhaps a serial killer?
It makes sense. Many, if not most of the most notorious serial killers in history were psychopaths. Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam. Edmund Kemper, who we discussed on last week’s episode with Justin from the Generation Why Podcast.
These were all famous serial killers. And they were all psychopaths.
So, what exactly is a psychopathic personality?
That’s one of the first questions I had to ask Dr. James Fallon. He’s a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine.
He’s done extensive research in this area, and he’s the author of a book called, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain.”
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Links
- The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain, by James Fallon (Barnes & Noble)
- Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell, by Elaine Forman Crane (Barnes & Noble)
- James Fallon, Ph.D., (University of California, Irvine)
- The Neuroscientist Who Discovered He was a Psychopath, Smithsonian
- Lizzie Borden, The Crime Museum
- The 1673 Murder of Rebecca Cornell and the ‘Good Fire,’ New England Historical Society
About this Episode’s Guest Dr. James Fallon
James Fallon, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irving. He has several areas of expertise, including adult stem cells, psychiatry, and the relationships between brain imaging, genetics and a range of psychiatric conditions. These include schizophrenia, depression, addictions and psychopathy.
