Were You Born Evil

"Is anyone truly born evil? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence for that - but we also don’t have the answer for the point when they turn evil. Which means these wild cards can emerge at any time - and the experts continue to battle to stop them."

- The Infographics Show

Were You Born Evil is a video on the Infographics Show.

Synopsis
What is evil? Is it something we're born with, or something we learn as we grow up?

In this video I explore the question of "Can you be born evil?" And in the process, I touch on some fascinating ideas about human nature. Explore this question and more in the latest video from The Infographics Show.

Transcript
We’ve all seen the damage one person can do, be the y a serial killer who stalks and murders countless people over decades, or a mad tyrant who takes over a country and leads the population to turn on their own and kill millions. But where do these people come from? Are they the product of their atmosphere – or are they born rotten somehow and destined to become menaces to society?

Who we are is made up of a complex series of factors. But what makes a monster? Scientists have been studying the pathology of evil for a long time, with the FBI even having a research facility nicknamed the “Evil Minds Research Museum”, filled with artifacts from some of the darkest killers they’ve ever encountered. Not open to the public, it’s mostly used by researchers who provide the FBI with information on how serial killers are born. Scientists analyze letters, diaries, and paintings from the worst serial killers in history, hoping for a clue to what turned them from nobody to monster. They’ve found clues – but no silver bullets.

One common factor they’ve found in many of the worst serial killers is that they have early childhood trauma that makes them more likely to lash out at specific targets. These traumas may create lasting impressions on the brain that warp their minds and create a serial killer where there wouldn’t be one before – but the opposing argument is that countless other people experience early childhood trauma and either show no signs of it, or express it in ways that don’t cause the same level of damage. Do all of the worst killers have a traumatic turning point in their lives? Many do.

The famous serial killer Ted Bundy spent his early years in what seemed like a typical family, with a pair of parents and a much older sister who was already an adult when he was born. But there was a dark secret lurking in his family tree. His “sister” was actually his mother, and his “parents” were his grandparents who sent his mother to a home for unwed mothers when she was pregnant and raised him as their own son. While he spoke fondly of his grandparents, witnesses said his grandfather was an abusive bully. But after he discovered the truth about his family and his killing spree began, Bundy seemed to aim his hatred directly at one group – young women and girls.

The targets of serial killers vary – and it may be linked to childhood trauma. John Wayne Gacy, the notorious clown-themed killer who was executed for killing at least twelve young boys and men, had a loving relationship with his mother and two sisters. But his father was a different story – an abusive drunk who was a threat to everyone in the family. From an early age, Gacy’s father zeroed in on his son, beating and belittling him. He particularly liked throwing homophobic insults at Gacy and predicting he would turn out gay. Gacy, an overweight child with a heart condition, was later molested by a family friend. Gacy’s killing spree exclusively targeted young men and boys – and all his childhood trauma was linked to abuse from other men.

But not all serial killers follow the same pattern. The BTK killer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, having killed between 1974 and 2005 – even taking a thirteen-year break in the middle before resuming his murders. By the time the unassuming Dennis Rader was arrested, he was responsible for ten murders – but those looking for clues in his childhood would find few and far between. He was one of four sons born to hard-working parents, and while he felt his parents neglected him by working long hours, there was no evidence of abuse or neglect. That didn’t stop him from deeply resenting his mother for supposedly abandoning him, and from an early age he was consumed by fantasies about sex, torture, and murder. He liked to kill and torture young animals, and spied on female neighbors before he graduated to killing. He was in control of his obsessions enough that most people who met him thought he was a nice, normal man. He married, had two children, and even worked as a Cub Scout leader – all the while living a secret life as a serial killer.

So, is there any common factor to what makes a serial killer? Scientists have studied countless killers, both household names and unknowns, to try to find a link. One thing they’ve found many have in common is a lack of empathy. Psychologists have argued that this is the true definition of a psychopath – someone who has a consistent lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse. Many, like Dr. Kent Kiehl of the University of New Mexico, have argued that psychopaths are mentally ill and need treatment and increased research – but many politicians are hesitant to agree with this given that the most famous psychopaths are killers.

Still, scientists have found some major clues. Dr. Kiehl’s laboratory features a mobile brain scanner that he has used to examine the brains of many accused and convicted killers. One pattern he’s observed in some is deficiencies in the para-limbic system. Known as a behavioral circuit that includes the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, this part of the brain works to process emotions. In the past, people who suffered injuries to this part of the brain have seen their behavior change, with others finding them to suddenly become cold and antisocial. But many of these cases didn’t have an injury – they just seemed to have naturally low activity in this part of the brain. This raised the possibility that those born with a defect in this part of the brain might be predisposed to become killers. But it wasn’t a universal trait. Is there another key that can create a serial killer?

The enzyme Monoamine Oxidase A, commonly known as MAO-A, became famous when it was cited on the TV drama Riverdale as the notorious “serial killer gene”. But the truth is more complicated. This is a gene that increases the chemical reactions that regulate neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine – all of which affect our mood and emotions. Lower levels of MAO-A have been shown in some studies to increase the rate of depression. But another link to behavior has gained more attention. The MAO-A gene has been shown to increase antisocial behavior – but other factors were commonly associated, including childhood abuse and high testosterone. This gene has been given another name – the Warrior gene.

People with a low-activity variant of the MAO-A gene have been shown to display disproportionate aggression, responding with greater force in experiments when they feel wrong. The idea that this gene makes people more likely to be violent has even been used in court, with the defense in a murder trial in 2009 claiming that the subject’s “warrior gene” and traumatic childhood made them not responsible. While they were convicted and sentenced to thirty-two years in prison, they managed to beat the top charge and avoid the death penalty.

So, is there truly a common link between the worst people to ever live? Many of the most notorious killers like HH Holmes and Albert Fish, along with brutal dictators like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Vlad Tepes died long before their DNA could be analyzed for common factors. Some had brutal and abusive childhoods, while others had far less traumatic upbringings. The lack of any common link between the worst people in the world has made philosophers wonder whether humanity has an inherent nature – good or evil.

The debate goes back to two famous philosophers. Thomas Hobbes had a cynical view of humanity, claiming they were a nasty and brutish people who needed a strictly regimented society to make them rein in their instincts. A century later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a more optimistic view, claiming that it was only society’s influences that led to greed, cruelty, and inequality and that we would be inherently good without it. The debate continues to this day – but what does the evidence show? Many experts believe that the best way to test the nature of humanity is to start at the beginning – with babies. After all, these are the purest canvas of humanity, with few influences to turn them in one direction yet. Of course, babies aren’t the best test subjects – what with the crying and inability to communicate – but clever scientists developed a test to judge if they have a moral compass.

They showed them cartoons with colorful puppets in the shapes of circles, squares, and triangles. The shapes engaged in a morality play, with one shape trying to hurt the other and the third helping to protect the innocent shape. When asked after the show to pick which shape they wanted to play with, these children – all under a year old - all chose the heroic shape. But could this have been determined by other factors, like attraction to a color? The scientists wanted to make sure the experiment was as scientific as possible, so they repeated the experiment with other subjects and flipped the alignments of the shapes. Sure enough, the babies all chose the heroic shape again – even though it was a different one.

This was an indication that they were attracted not to the shape or color, but to the friendly actions. This was an early indication that babies do have an inherent moral compass – and it’s on the good side of the spectrum. So what is the tipping line between good and evil? Profilers have been searching for an answer to that for decades, and have found many possible answers – but no concrete ones. Environmental factors, like an abusive childhood and isolation, seem to contribute. As does early-life trauma like bullying or being a victim of sexual abuse. A correlation has been shown with certain genetic factors, but not specifically with becoming a serial killer.

Is anyone truly born evil? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence for that – but we also don’t have the answer for the point when they turn evil. Which means these wild cards can emerge at any time - and the experts continue to battle to stop them. For a profile of one of history’s greatest killers, check out “Most Evil Man – Joseph Stalin” or watch “The Most Evil Kids in the History of Mankind” for a look at when evil starts young.