Am I a Dark Empath?

Take this quiz to find out!

A dark empath is someone who can easily tell what other people are thinking and feeling and has high levels of social intelligence, but instead of using their powers for good—they control and manipulate people around them.

Answer these quick questions, and we’ll tell you if you might be a dark empath.

(Keep in mind that “dark empath” is not an actual scientific diagnosis, and this quiz is meant only for self-reflection purposes.)

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Questions Overview

1. Do you enjoy learning other people's secrets?
  1. No, that's none of my business.
  2. Absolutely. The juicier, the better.
  3. Sure, I like gossip, but I don't love learning dark secrets.
2. Do you find that other people are usually willing to trust you?
  1. Yes. Total strangers tend to trust me pretty easily.
  2. Sort of. People who know me pretty well tend to trust me.
  3. No really. I feel like it takes a while for people to learn to trust me.
3. How do you think these people are feeling? (More than one answer may be correct.)
  1. Relaxed
  2. Frustrated
  3. Angry
  4. Happy
4. What's more important?
  1. Helping others before you help yourself.
  2. Helping yourself before you help others.
5. How do you think this person is feeling? (More than one answer may be correct.)
  1. Excited
  2. Surprised
  3. Disappointed
  4. Scared
6. Is it ever okay to lie to someone?
  1. Yes, to get what I want (especially if no one ever finds out).
  2. Yes, if it's for their own good.
  3. Sometimes, to protect yourself.
  4. It's never okay.
7. Who would you most want as a friend?
  1. Someone who can help me get what I want.
  2. Someone who always tells me the truth.
  3. Someone who's loyal to the end.
8. When someone hurts your feelings, you:
  1. Secretly get back at them. An eye for an eye.
  2. Ignore it, but only because they might be useful later.
  3. Forgive them. People make mistakes.
9. Be honest: Do you think you're an average person?
  1. No, I'm above average in intelligence and intuition.
  2. I think I'm pretty average.
  3. I might be below average, honestly.
10. How do you feel when someone else is mad at you?
  1. I don't really care, it's not my problem.
  2. It bothers me. I can't stand it. Can't we be chill?
  3. It's unfortunate, but I'll live.
11. How do you feel when someone you love makes a mistake?
  1. That's an opportunity for me to get something out of it.
  2. It's disappointing, but I try to give them grace and patience.
  3. I feel hurt for them, like I made the mistake myself.
12. Have you ever tried to guilt someone into doing something for you?
  1. All the time. Hey, if it works, why not?
  2. Sometimes. If they owe me, they owe me.
  3. Not really, or I can't remember.

More Quizzes

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care<\/i>. Dark empaths have cognitive empathy (the ability to read others' emotions) but not necessarily emotional empathy (feeling sadness for others, etc).

You're someone who's great at reading other people's thoughts, perspectives, and body language. It's not hard for you to tell what the people around you are thinking. But it seems that, for the most part, you don\u2019t feel emotionally connected to others\u2019 feelings or experiences. Sometimes, you might even use those feelings to your advantage, like asking someone for something when you know they're in a good mood, or using their bad mood to convince them of something that's not necessarily true. This is what pop psychology calls a \"dark empath.\"

That said, it's just pop psychology. Pretty much everyone has some degree of empathy, and most people are able to \"read\" others to some extent. Also, everyone makes mistakes and even manipulates other people from time to time. You're not strange, damaged, or dangerous; just human! Just because you may not have high emotional empathy doesn't mean you can't have a moral code, or can't care about other people's emotions. It just means you might have to think a bit longer about the best course of action in an emotional situation, and that's something everyone has to be careful of.

To ease up on the \"dark\" side of empathy, ask yourself how you'd want to be treated when you're in that person's shoes. Just because you may be a dark empath doesn't mean you can't make good and moral choices!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Show Empathy","id":698460,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Show-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5a\/Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg","alt":"How to Show Empathy"},{"title":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know","id":13917188,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Toxic-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6f\/Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg","alt":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You're probably a standard empath.","meaning":"You're someone who can read people's thoughts and feelings, and<\/i> you feel those thoughts and feelings as though they're your own. You're incredibly perceptive, intuitive, and maybe even spiritual. Unlike a dark empath, you want to get involved in others' emotions because when someone else is hurting, you're hurting, too, and you want to fix it, whereas a dark empath might want to take advantage of it.

A dark empath is someone who easily understands how other people think and feel. Unlike a standard empath, though, they don't necessarily care<\/i>. Dark empaths have cognitive empathy (the ability to read others' emotions) but not emotional empathy (the urge to get involved in or \"fix\" those emotions.\"

That said, the concept of \"dark empaths\" is just pop psychology. Pretty much everyone has some degree of empathy, and most people are able to \"read\" others to some extent. Also, everyone makes mistakes and even manipulates other people from time to time. Dark empaths aren't especially strange, damaged, or dangerous; just human!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Show Empathy","id":698460,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Show-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5a\/Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg","alt":"How to Show Empathy"},{"title":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know","id":13917188,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Toxic-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6f\/Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg","alt":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You don't seem to be a dark empath.","meaning":"You're someone who can usually tell what other people are thinking and feeling, and you usually want to help out or share in their joy in some way. You're sensitive, sympathetic, and kind, and you tend to extend patience and grace to others, and to treat them how you'd want to be treated. That's what makes you different from a dark empath, who might want to take advantage of those negative feelings for personal gain.

A dark empath is someone who easily understands how other people think and feel. Unlike a standard empath, though, they don't necessarily care<\/i>. Dark empaths have cognitive empathy (the ability to read others' emotions) but not emotional empathy (the urge to get involved in or \"fix\" those emotions.\"

That said, the concept of \"dark empaths\" is just pop psychology. Pretty much everyone has some degree of empathy, and most people are able to \"read\" others to some extent. Also, everyone makes mistakes and even manipulates other people from time to time. Dark empaths aren't strange, damaged, or dangerous; just human!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Show Empathy","id":698460,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Show-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Show-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5a\/Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Avoid-Conversation-on-Public-Transportation-Step-20.jpg","alt":"How to Show Empathy"},{"title":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know","id":13917188,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Toxic-Empathy","relUrl":"\/Toxic-Empathy","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6f\/Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Toxic-Empathy-Step-21.jpg","alt":"What is Toxic Empathy? Everything You Need to Know"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>\"Test<\/picture>","alt":"Test My Ethics Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Psychic Quiz","id":14516534,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Psychic","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Psychic","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Psychic Quiz"},{"title":"Do You Understand Body Language Quiz","id":14912967,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Body-Language-Quiz","relUrl":"\/Body-Language-Quiz","image":"\"Body<\/picture>","alt":"Do You Understand Body Language Quiz"}],"number":1},{"text":"Not really.","result":"Interesting! In that case, check out these quizzes:","next_quizzes":[{"title":"Do I Have Common Sense Quiz","id":14312708,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Common-Sense-Quiz","relUrl":"\/Common-Sense-Quiz","image":"\"Common<\/picture>","alt":"Do I Have Common Sense Quiz"},{"title":"What Are My Personal Values Quiz","id":14701520,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Are-My-Values","relUrl":"\/What-Are-My-Values","image":"\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Are My Personal Values Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Book Smart or Street Smart Quiz","id":14888830,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Book-Smart-Vs-Street-Smart","relUrl":"\/Book-Smart-Vs-Street-Smart","image":"\"Book<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Book Smart or Street Smart Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>

Dark Empaths and the Dark Triad

What is a dark empath?
A dark empath is someone who has no problem understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, but they’re not emotionally moved by those feelings. Instead, according to some pop psychologists, they may seek to take advantage of those feelings for their own gain. Usually, they exhibit all 3 parts of the dark triad.

What is the dark triad?
The “dark triad” is 3 independent personality traits that can cause problems when all 3 are present in someone’s personality. Those traits are Machiavellianism (manipulative tendencies), psychopathy (lack of empathy), and narcissism (self-centeredness). Some say that in order to be a dark empath, a person has to possess all 3 traits.

How is a dark empath different from an empath?
Some say that empaths possess both “cognitive empathy,” which is the ability to read other people’s feelings, and “emotional empathy,” which is the urge to get involved in those feelings. According to pop psychology, dark empaths have cognitive empathy, but not emotional empathy.

Are dark empaths real? There’s no scientific evidence that dark empathy is a legitimate personality disorder. In fact, there’s no evidence that “empaths” are a thing either. These are terms made popular by pop psychology to explain certain behaviors in certain people. But the truth is that almost everyone possesses some amount of empathy (though there are personality disorders where this may not be the case), and everyone makes mistakes, like manipulating people. Having low empathy and making mistakes doesn’t make a person less human or supernaturally evil.

Want to learn more?

For more information about empathy and personality disorders, check out these scientific resources:

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