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Diagnosed sociopath reveals simple sentence that helps her tell instantly if someone else is also one
A woman diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder has revealed the surprisingly simple sentence she claims helps her figure out whether someone else might be a sociopath.
Kanika Batra shared her thoughts in a YouTube video posted in January 2023, where she spoke openly about living with antisocial personality disorder, often referred to as ASPD. The condition is clinically defined as a long-term pattern of disregard for others, repeated deceit, impulsivity, and lack of remorse.
In her video, Batra argues that many people assume sociopaths are easy to identify. According to her, that assumption is wrong. She says high-functioning individuals with the disorder can blend into everyday life without raising suspicion, and she believes she has developed a way to spot them quickly.
She says the eyes give it away
At the start of the video, Batra introduces herself by saying, "I'm a diagnosed sociopath and this is how I spot fellow sociopaths." She immediately points to eye contact as the first thing she notices.
Describing what she looks for, she says, "The first thing I look out for is eyes. We have dead eyes. I had to teach myself to blink more frequently so I wouldn't freak people out."
She suggests that a lack of natural blinking or what she calls flat eye contact can make others uncomfortable, which is why she consciously trained herself to adjust it.
Batra also stresses that sociopaths are not as common as some might think, stating that they're "only one to four percent of the population."
That estimate aligns with commonly cited prevalence rates for antisocial personality disorder.
The knitting sentence she uses to test people
The most talked about part of her explanation is the social experiment she says she runs in conversation.
Batra explains, "I can test sociopaths. The way I do this is by saying something absolutely ridiculous and seeing if they'll mirror me."
The example she gives is intentionally unexpected. "I tell them that I spend my free time knitting, somehow they knit as well or their uncle does."
According to her, the goal is to see whether the other person immediately mirrors the unusual hobby in order to build rapport.
Mirroring is a common social behavior and can help people bond. However, Batra believes that in individuals with ASPD, it may be used more deliberately as a tactic.
She goes on to say, "I also bring up a range of different emotions and see how they react to them. Since lying is second nature to us, I try to catch them out in one. The mask of sanity and kindness slips very fast at this point."
In her view, inconsistencies begin to show when someone is pushed outside rehearsed responses.