How to spot psychopaths and narcissists, with Leanne ten Brinke | ReThinking

@LeannetenBrinke is a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia and an expert on narcissists, psychopaths, and liars. In this episode, Leanne and Adam debunk common myths about people with these dark personality traits and share tips for spotting them.They also break down strategies for connecting with and managing people with these traits, discuss how to reduce any dark tendencies you might see in yourself, and rethink their place in workplaces. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Leanne ten Brinke (Instagram: @leannetenbrinke | Website: https://www.leannetenbrinke.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Leanne ten BrinkeguestAdam Granthost

Mar 14, 202633mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: March 14, 2026
Duration: 33m
Channel: Re:Thinking with Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

@LeannetenBrinke is a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia and an expert on narcissists, psychopaths, and liars. In this episode, Leanne and Adam debunk common myths about people with these dark personality traits and share tips for spotting them.They also break down strategies for connecting with and managing people with these traits, discuss how to reduce any dark tendencies you might see in yourself, and rethink their place in workplaces. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Leanne ten Brinke (Instagram: @leannetenbrinke | Website: https://www.leannetenbrinke.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

SPEAKERS

Leanne ten Brinke
guest
Psychology researcher known for work on psychopathy, narcissism, and other “dark” personality traits and how they show up in real-world behavior.
Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist and host of the Re:Thinking podcast, interviewing experts about work, psychology, and leadership.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Leanne ten Brinke and Adam Grant, How to spot psychopaths and narcissists, with Leanne ten Brinke | ReThinking explores recognizing dark personalities and managing them without losing yourself entirely Psychopathy involves reduced automatic emotional contagion (e.g., less contagious yawning) despite intact cognitive empathy, helping explain how some people can read emotions without feeling them.

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