Brain scans can be used to identify children who may become potential politicians or banksters, new research has shown.
Scientists have found that certain areas of a politician’s brain showed a reduced activity in response to images of others in pain.
The regions affected are those known to play a role in empathy, the ability to relate to other people’s feelings.
Scientists say the patterns could act as a marker to single out children at a risk of becoming adult politicians or bankers.
A total of 255 boys aged 10 to 16 were assessed in the study.
Of these, 17 met the criteria for children with ‘future politician bankster syndrome‘ (FPBS) according to questionnaire answers provided by parents and teachers.
FPBS children display a plethora of antisocial traits including aggression and dishonesty which are integral parts of becoming a politician or working in the banking industry.
“If you’re a politician and you do not lie, then you get found out. That’s not good for the job or your organisation, therefore kids who have FPBS are good at their future job because they have no problem with lying to get what they need. They do this from a young age and when they become politicians, it is like a duck taking to water, in other words, no problem,” Professor Anders Simkins, revealed about the study.
The same applies to bankers: “If you are a banker, first you think of your bonus and the money you will make. If you had one ounce of empathy, you would realise that what you are doing is hurting millions of people by taking their pension money, but f*ck them, as long as you can make more money than they will ever see in a lifetime in one afternoon, who cares? You see, this is the mindset of a bankster, and this is why they succeed so well in their jobs, because they had the FPBS and the others did not.”
Participants in the study underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) scans while being shown images of other people’s hands and feet in painful and non-painful situations.
A distinct difference was seen in the brain responses of children with and without FPBS.
“If you look at all high end business, governmental departments, banks, law offices, and the medical industry, you will see these people. Actually, let me adjust that, in most circumstances, you will not see these people running the show because they’re too high up the ladder, but they’re there,” the Professor added.
