145

I CAN READ YOUR MIND AND READ YOUR LIPS (FROM THE HIPS, LIPS, TO THE FINGER TIPS). I CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE THINKING AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. AND I CAN DO ALL OF THIS WITHOUT LOOKING AT YOU OR EVEN BEING AROUND YOU*. MY THEORY OF MIND ABILITY FUNCTIONS AT A FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary/200805/empathy-mindblindness-and-theory-mind). WHY? BECAUSE I WAS BORN WITH A HIGH CAPACITY FOR THIS ABILITY AND I WAS EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES FROM DIFFERENT RACES WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITY TRAITS AT AN EARLY AGE, FURTHER HONING THIS ABILITY!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201512/when-children-learn-about-others-minds-they-learn-lie

*DON'T BELIEVE THIS SENTENCE? LISTEN TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD SAYING "EXACTLY...YOU READ MY MIND" AFTER READING THE THINGS I WRITE! AND I'M NOWHERE NEAR THESE PEOPLE.

Zain Asher

@ZainAsher

Zain Asher ‏@ZainAsher 

@arinzenevarez that's exactly what I was thinking

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mind-reading

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201202/are-narcissists-better-reading-minds

But there's more to this puzzle. If theory of mind evolved to facilitate harmonious social interactions, why do Dark Triad individuals score so high on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test-- a capstone measure of theory of mind?

It turns out there are at least two main dimensions of theory of mind (ToM). The social-perceptual component of ToM involves the ability to determine the mental states of others using immediately available non-verbal cues (e.g., eyes, face, hand gestures). This maps on to the cognitive empathy component, and is what is measured by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test. This component of theory of mind shows up earlier in development and is related to the right hemisphere medial temporal and orbitofrontal regions of the brain.

In contrast, the social-cognitive component of ToM (not to be confused with cognitive empathy) involves the ability to reason about the mental state of others, and use that reasoning to predict or explain their behavior. This ability involves inferring what others know or believe to be true apart from what you know or believe to be true. This is a later developing skill and is more strongly dependent on linguistic capacities. This component of theory of mind draws on left hemisphere circuitry involving medial frontal areas and the temporoparietal junction.

Daniel Nettle and Bethany Liddle found a relationship between the social-cognitive component of theory of mind, but not the social-perceptual component. It appears that the agreeable, compassionate, altruistic aspect of our human nature is only associated with the higher-level, social-cognitive component of theory of mind.

***

Now for the last few pieces of this puzzle.

Research conducted by Elizabeth Austin and her colleagues show that the onlyelement of emotional intelligence Machiavellian individuals aren't impaired on is the perceiving dimension, which involves the lower-level, pereceptual ability to decipher emotions in faces and pictures. Not only that, but they show a relatively stronger ability to manage the emotions of others than manage their own emotions. This may be related to their empathy and perspective taking deficits: not only can't they spontaneously feel what others are feeling, but even if they could, they would have difficulty labeling or figuring out what the emotions mean. Additionally, Machiavellian individuals endorse emotionally-manipulative behavior. So in their eyes, they are really good at manipulating others.

Zsofia Esperger and Tamas Bereczkei in Hungary wondered whether despite their theory of mind deficits, Machiavellian individuals mentalize more often than others-- in other words, even though their emotional intelligence is impaired, are they still cognitively strategizing, scheming, and trying to infer the intentions of others much more so than those who are less Machiavellian?