How Psychopathic Is Massachusetts?

BOSTON, MA -- Cue the creepy music: Massachusetts is the 15th most psychopathic state in the U.S. -- excluding Alaska and Hawaii -- according to a recent study by Ryan H. Murphy, a researcher at Southern Methodist University. Murphy looked at previous research identifying the "big five personality traits" in psychology and then looked at the occurrence of the three traits that, when combined, signal psychopathy on a state-by-state basis. The study looked at the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, which came in first, but Washington's high rank may need to be discounted when comparing it to states because of the high population density.

Massachusetts was not the top-ranked New England State. That goes to Connecticut at No. 2, followed by Maine at No. 7, although Murphy did not theorize that those states high rankings were attributable to a higher density of Yankees fans in the Nutmeg State and Stephen King's home in Vacationland. Rhode Island checked in at 29th, followed by New Hampshire at 39th and Vermont at 48th out of 49.

Here's a break down of the top and bottom five in Murphy's study:

Psychopathy by U.S. State, Top 5:

1. District of Columbia

2. Connecticut

3. California

4. New Jersey

5. (TIE) New York, Wyoming

"Wyoming is an odd data point, ranking very high in psychopathy given its lack of population," the study noted.

Psychopathy by U.S. State, Bottom 5:

45. New Mexico

46. North Carolina

47. Tennessee

48. Vermont

49. West Virginia

"Areas of the United States that are measured to be most psychopathic are those in the Northeast and other similarly populated regions. The least psychopathic are predominantly rural areas," the study, which was released in late May, concluded. "The District of Columbia is measured to be far more psychopathic than any individual state in the country, a fact that can be readily explained either by its very high population density or by the type of person who may be drawn a literal seat of power."

Psychopathy is defined as "a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits." The study notes that "a very small percentage of individuals in any given state may actually be true psychopaths." In effect, the study is measuring the preponderance of those traits used to define a psychopath in a given region.

A 2009 study cited by Murphy found that psychopathy could be identified as a "constellation of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness." Boldness corresponds to low neuroticism and high extraversion, meanness corresponds to low agreeableness, and disinhibition corresponds to low conscientiousness. If you've ridden the Green Line during rush hour, you're probably starting to understand why Massachusetts ranked so high on the list.

The study used state-level data on personality traits and looked at 49 factors that could signal psychopathy in a region. It then compared that data with 2016 homicide rates and the percentage of the state living in an urban area, which are variables that relate to psychopathy at a micro level.

It also looked at the concentration of nine professions that correlate to a high rate of psychopathy and eight professions that correlate with less psychopath. A high concentration of lawyers, chief executives and -- ahem -- journalists, for example, correlates with state's likelihood for higher levels psychopathy, while nurses, therapists and beauticians correlate to a reduced likelihood. But the biggest factor may be how densely populated a state is, which is why so many states in the northeast ranked so highly, the study said.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).