Statistics · Edition 162 · 12 September 2026
The numbers, numbered
Two lists, kept apart on purpose. First, what the published research says about how common psychopathy and the related personality disorders are, with the source on every line. Second, what 7,722 people who took the Dark Mirror actually score, from this morning's edition. Every fact has a number and an anchor so it can be quoted exactly; the second list describes people who took this quiz, never a population.
What the research says
Prevalence figures as printed in the source, ranges included. These are not the Index's numbers.
- 01
Psychopathy, all instruments: 4.5% (95% CI 1.6 to 7.9)
General adult population, 15 studies, 11,497 people. Meta-analysis. Sanz-Garcia et al. 2021, Frontiers in Psychology
- 02
Psychopathy, PCL-R (clinician-rated): 1.2% (95% CI 0 to 3.7)
General adult population. Meta-analysis, PCL-R studies only. Sanz-Garcia et al. 2021
- 03
Psychopathy, self-report scales: 5.4% (95% CI 1.9 to 9.5)
General adult population. Meta-analysis, self-report studies. Sanz-Garcia et al. 2021
- 04
Psychopathy by sample type: Community 1.9%, students 8.1%, organizations 12.9%
General adult population, split by where the sample was drawn. Meta-analysis subgroups. Sanz-Garcia et al. 2021
- 05
Psychopathy by sex: Men 7.9%, women 2.9%
General adult population. Meta-analysis subgroups. Sanz-Garcia et al. 2021
- 06
Antisocial personality disorder (the DSM diagnosis): 3.6% lifetime
US adults, NESARC wave 1, 43,093 people. Structured diagnostic interview. Grant et al. 2004, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
- 07
Narcissistic personality disorder: 6.2% lifetime; point prevalence usually quoted near 1%
US adults, NESARC wave 2, 34,653 people. Structured diagnostic interview. Stinson et al. 2008, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
- 08
Borderline personality disorder: 5.9% lifetime; DSM-5-TR median point prevalence 1.6%
US adults, NESARC wave 2, 34,653 people. Structured diagnostic interview. Grant et al. 2008, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
- 09
Histrionic personality disorder: 1.8% lifetime
US adults, NESARC wave 1. Structured diagnostic interview. Grant et al. 2004, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
What the Index shows
Edition 162, 12 September 2026, n = 7,722. Recomputed every morning; the wording is fixed so a number quoted from here matches the number on every other Index page. The Index will read higher than every row above, and it should. People who take a dark-psychology quiz on a dark-psychology creator's site are not a community sample; the meta-analysis itself finds self-selected and organizational samples running four to seven times the community rate. Our high band is also a reading aid on a self-report screener, not a PCL-R assessment. Read the Index as an audience portrait beside the literature, never as a rival estimate of prevalence.
- 10
Among 5,000+ people who took the Dark Mirror, 59% came out neurotypical: it was their highest axis of six.
- 11
20% of 5,000+ takers lean psychopathic (their highest axis) and 3% score high on the psychopathic axis, 60 or more on a 0 to 100 scale.
- 12
The median psychopathic score among 5,000+ takers is 15 out of 100; the top 10% starts at 45.
- 13
9% of 5,000+ takers lean sociopathic (their highest axis) and 0% score high on the sociopathic axis, 60 or more on a 0 to 100 scale.
- 14
The median sociopathic score among 5,000+ takers is 15 out of 100; the top 10% starts at 35.
- 15
5% of 5,000+ takers lean narcissistic (their highest axis) and 0% score high on the narcissistic axis, 60 or more on a 0 to 100 scale.
- 16
The median narcissistic score among 5,000+ takers is 10 out of 100; the top 10% starts at 25.
- 17
6% of 5,000+ takers lean borderline (their highest axis) and 0% score high on the borderline axis, 60 or more on a 0 to 100 scale.
- 18
The median borderline score among 5,000+ takers is 10 out of 100; the top 10% starts at 30.
- 19
0% of 5,000+ takers lean histrionic (their highest axis) and 0% score high on the histrionic axis, 60 or more on a 0 to 100 scale.
- 20
The median histrionic score among 5,000+ takers is 5 out of 100; the top 10% starts at 20.
- 21
The most common type among 5,000+ takers is The Balanced (59%); the rarest is The Emperor (5%).
- 22
43 timezone regions have thirty or more takes; regions are read from the browser timezone, so "New York" means Eastern-time takers.
Cite this edition
Batra, K. (2026). The Dark Mirror Index, Edition 162 (n = 7,722) [dataset]. kanikarose.com. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22228971.
See where you fall, and how far.
Seven minutes, twenty scenarios, then your band and percentile on every axis against everyone above.