--- title: Which Professions Have the Most Psychopaths? The Fewest? description: CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths. But first off, psychopath doesn’t just mean someone who cuts you up with a chainsaw — though... canonical: https://time.com/32647/which-professions-have-the-most-psychopaths-the-fewest/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-21T04:01:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:47:56.148Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Which Professions Have the Most Psychopaths? The Fewest? og:description: CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths. But first off, psychopath doesn’t just mean someone who cuts you up with a chainsaw — though... og:url: https://time.com/32647/which-professions-have-the-most-psychopaths-the-fewest/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86f75df4f2a38abd/698686a835ba6f54edc011b5/business-man-working.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: CEO Profession og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Which Professions Have the Most Psychopaths? The Fewest? twitter:description: CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths. But first off, psychopath doesn’t just mean someone who cuts you up with a chainsaw — though... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86f75df4f2a38abd/698686a835ba6f54edc011b5/business-man-working.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Which Professions Have the Most Psychopaths? The Fewest? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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MONEY VIDEO_ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC **CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths.** But first off, psychopath doesn’t just mean someone who cuts you up with a chainsaw — though the majority of people who do things like that are psychopaths. What’s the [definition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy)? --- > “” --- So which professions (other than axe murderer) have the most psychopaths? What about the least? Via [The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374291357/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0374291357&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):  And the next thing that comes to mind is: **_Why_** **?** Most of the professions on the right require human connection, dealing with feelings and most of them don’t offer much power. Psychopaths, by their very nature, would not be drawn to or very good at these things. On the other hand, most of the roles on the left do offer power and many require an ability to make objective, clinical decisions divorced from feelings. Psychopaths would be drawn to these roles and thrive there. _That said…_ Chef? Really? I guess it pays to tread lightly around anyone who has a set of knives bearing their initials. ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. Getty Images **Join 45K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). Related posts: [Do Starbucks employees have more emotional intelligence than your doctor?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/starbucks-employees-emotional-intelligence-doctor/) [Are psychopaths more likely to become criminals… or CEOs?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/ceos-psychopaths/) [Are there too many psychopaths in Corporate America?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/05/are-there-too-many-psychopaths-in-corporate-a/) _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/professions-most-fewest-psychopaths/)_._ _Read next:_ [_Top 10 FBI Behavioral Unit Techniques for Building Rapport With Anyone_](http://time.com/98473/top-10-fbi-behavioral-unit-techniques-for-building-rapport-with-anyone/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ### See 11 of the Worst Dictators Portrayed in Movies  Kim Jong-un - The Interview Columbia  RALPH FIENNES as Lord Voldemort in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Warner Bros.  Hitler - Inglourious Basterds Universal  President Snow - The Hunger Games Lionsgate  Kim Kong-il - Team America: World Police Paramount  The White Witch - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Buena Vista  President Prime Minister Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen - The Dictator Paramount  Idi Amin - The Last King of Scotland Fox Searchlight  Sauron - Lord of the Rings New Line Cinema  Adam Sutler - V for Vendetta Warner Bros,  Jacobim Mugatu - Zoolander Paramount [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript There's been a lot of research on what makes us happy. We tend to get more happiness from experiences rather than possessions. The research has shown us that we are happier when we're surrounded by a robust network of friends and family. Another key component of happiness research is focused on the satisfaction we get from work There's this notion of flow, this idea that we get totally absorbed in an activity. And those moments of flow can be among our happiest times. We have all had those moments of flow. You know when we're doing something, we just love what we're doing, we're passionate about it, we find it challenging. And you want o design a life for yourself, where you have those moments, because that is gonna give you that sense of fulfillment. When we enter the work force is our 20s, Often we're really focused on getting that next promotion and getting that next pay raise. You find [ UNKNOWN ] really exciting. You hit your 40s, and you have this sense of dissatisfaction from your life. It's the mid- life crisis. And you say to yourself, okay Tend not to deliver a whole lot of dollar income. And so at that point what you want is to have a least amount of savings so you can make the career switch and potentially earn less income. [ MUSIC ]. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/32647/which-professions-have-the-most-psychopaths-the-fewest/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/32647/which-professions-have-the-most-psychopaths-the-fewest/"},"headline":"Which Professions Have the Most Psychopaths? The Fewest?","datePublished":"2014-03-21T04:01:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T08:47:56.148Z","description":"CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths. 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