A woman with ASPD has shared insights into a distinct physical indicator that helps her identify if someone is a ‘fellow sociopath’.
Kanika Batra was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) at the age of 21.
While the term ‘sociopathy’ is not medically recognized, ASPD is. Kanika describes it as marked by “a lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse” along with specific antisocial behaviors.
In a discussion with LADbible Stories, Kanika said: “A lot of people claim to be sociopaths, and they think, ‘I’ve done bad things before. Am I a sociopath?’
“And the answer is no. Most of you still have empathy, guilt, and remorse. And what people like to call conscience. We don’t have that.”
Kanika pointed out that there are clear indicators of ASPD, beyond just the absence of empathy, guilt, and remorse, including a subtle physical sign.
Addressing the stereotype that sociopaths are ‘scary in person,’ Kanika contended there ‘really isn’t’ much difference between them and ‘other people’.
However, she pointed out a noticeable feature in ‘a fellow sociopath is in the eyes’.
“The eyes are pretty soulless,” she noted. “If you see me get angry, you’ll see my eyes become soulless.”
Kanika mentioned that she had to ‘teach’ herself to ‘blink more’ since it was unsettling to others.
“And so that’s something that you will notice, the ability to hold eye contact for as long as possible, usually because we don’t have the same stress response as other people,” she elaborated.
She also identified a specific behavioral trait that could indicate someone has ASPD.
Kanika observed that sociopaths generally remain ‘calm in quite tough situations,’ even in extreme circumstances like nearly being ‘hit by a car’, an experience she recently had without feeling a heightened heart rate.
She remarked: “So when you notice someone who is exceptionally calm, exceptionally good in stress, it’s highly likely they could be a sociopath.”
Regarding her social life, Kanika talked about her inconsistent presence in friendships due to her ASPD.
She explained that sociopaths tend to get bored ‘real quick’ and if they lose interest, they often ‘cut’ people out of their lives swiftly.
She also discussed the emotions she experiences most intensely, such as rage, disgust, and contempt, with contempt probably being the strongest.
Kanika highlighted that men are ‘far more likely to be sociopathic’ and often exhibit aggressive, violent behaviors, also utilizing physical dominance.
Indeed, research indicates the male-to-female ratio for sociopathy is approximately 3:1.