Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

The dark triad is a collection of three types of socially pathological behavior: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Narcissism is defined by excessive self-regard and blunted empathy toward others. Machiavellianism is the unfeeling manipulation of others for the individual’s own gain, using social cognition to manipulate instead of engage. Psychopathy is the inability to experience empathy and a profound lack of understanding of others’ inner worlds, leading to cruel behavior in pursuit of excitement or in response to frustration.

The high and low roads refer to the two different major neurobiological structures that govern social intelligence. The high road refers to the prefrontal cortex, with its ability to provide a “brain boost” to almost any task, including solving complex social dilemmas. The high road reflects, strategizes, and adapts its approach based on new information. In contrast, the low road refers to the circuitry connected to the amygdala, which makes instantaneous judgments based on the perceived emotions of other people. The amygdala works very quickly and is a vital sentinel to ensure our survival, but it sometimes misinterprets information as threatening and prompts an emotional alarm before the prefrontal cortex can engage and evaluate.

Mirror neurons are neural circuits that automatically perceive and imitate the nonverbal body language, gestures, and tone of others, replicating them in order to facilitate attunement and rapport. Mirror neurons facilitate empathy but also contribute to the rapid spreading of negative emotions like fear, panic, contempt, or rage.

The orbitofrontal cortex, or OFC, is a collection of neural circuitry that specifically connects the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, allowing the human brain to communicate at impressive speeds within itself. The OFC uses spindle neurons as part of its quick communication.