The Dark Mirror Index
Edition No. 162 · daily
Updated
Sample 7,722 takes+145 since yesterdaySince 4 April 2026 · 6 axes · 20 items43 regions with 30+ takes

/dark-mirror-index/where

The darkest cities, by who looked.

43 regions have 30 or more takers. Below, each is ranked by the share of its takers who score high on a dark axis. Region is the browser timezone, so "New York" means Eastern-time takers rather than the five boroughs, and a region is a portrait of who there chose to look, not of the place.

On the psychopathic axis the regions run from 0% to 10% scoring high, against 3% overall, and at these sample sizes the intervals overlap: no region can honestly be called the leader yet. Positions below are only given to regions with 100+ takes, and regions whose intervals overlap share one.

Psychopathic: share scoring high

the axis
  1. 01=Bucharestn 1038%4 to 15%
  2. 01=Kolkatan 1227%4 to 13%
  3. 01=Denvern 1357%4 to 12%
  4. 01=Toronton 2094%2 to 8%
  5. 01=Warsawn 1204%2 to 9%
  6. 01=Chicagon 6014%2 to 5%
  7. 01=Amsterdamn 1664%2 to 8%
  8. 01=Elsewhere in Europen 2423%2 to 6%
  9. 01=Romen 1223%1 to 8%
  10. 01=Los Angelesn 4743%2 to 5%
  11. 01=Madridn 1023%1 to 8%
  12. 01=New Yorkn 1,0043%2 to 4%

Sociopathic: share scoring high

the axis
  1. 01=Bucharestn 1031%0 to 5%
  2. 01=Toronton 2091%0 to 3%
  3. 01=Londonn 1,2050%0 to 1%
  4. 01=Chicagon 6010%0 to 1%
  5. 01=New Yorkn 1,0040%0 to 1%
  6. 01=Los Angelesn 4740%0 to 1%
  7. 01=Berlinn 3020%0 to 1%
  8. 01=Elsewhere in the Americasn 2680%0 to 1%
  9. 01=Sydneyn 2470%0 to 2%
  10. 01=Elsewhere in Europen 2420%0 to 2%
  11. 01=Amsterdamn 1660%0 to 2%
  12. 01=Brisbanen 1400%0 to 3%

Narcissistic: share scoring high

the axis
  1. 01=Londonn 1,2050%0 to 0%
  2. 01=New Yorkn 1,0040%0 to 0%
  3. 01=Chicagon 6010%0 to 1%
  4. 01=Los Angelesn 4740%0 to 1%
  5. 01=Berlinn 3020%0 to 1%
  6. 01=Elsewhere in the Americasn 2680%0 to 1%
  7. 01=Sydneyn 2470%0 to 2%
  8. 01=Elsewhere in Europen 2420%0 to 2%
  9. 01=Toronton 2090%0 to 2%
  10. 01=Amsterdamn 1660%0 to 2%
  11. 01=Brisbanen 1400%0 to 3%
  12. 01=Denvern 1350%0 to 3%

Borderline: share scoring high

the axis
  1. 01=Kolkatan 1222%0 to 6%
  2. 01=Denvern 1351%0 to 5%
  3. 01=Melbournen 1121%0 to 5%
  4. 01=Los Angelesn 4741%0 to 2%
  5. 01=Warsawn 1201%0 to 5%
  6. 01=Londonn 1,2051%0 to 2%
  7. 01=Amsterdamn 1661%0 to 3%
  8. 01=Chicagon 6010%0 to 1%
  9. 01=Toronton 2090%0 to 3%
  10. 01=Elsewhere in Europen 2420%0 to 2%
  11. 01=New Yorkn 1,0040%0 to 1%
  12. 01=Berlinn 3020%0 to 1%

By country

Country is read from the connecting address at take time, from 2 September 2026. Countries with 30 or more takers get a page; those with 100 or more are ranked on it. Each is a portrait of who there chose to look.

  1. Germanyn 701% high0 to 8%
  2. Australian 1951% high0 to 4%
  3. United Statesn 5881% high0 to 2%
  4. Canadan 1181% high0 to 5%
  5. United Kingdomn 3651% high0 to 2%
  6. Netherlandsn 510% high0 to 7%
  7. Spainn 380% high0 to 9%
  8. Italyn 310% high0 to 11%

Regions under 30 takes are held back until they can say something; regions under 100 are listed but not ranked, and an "=" marks a shared position where the 95% intervals overlap. Shares are of takers in that timezone who took this quiz; nothing here estimates a city's population.

Add your city to the count.

Seven minutes, twenty scenarios, then your band and percentile on every axis against everyone above.

Take the Dark Mirror
Your numberTake the Dark Mirror, seven minutes, and see where you land on this curveThe long readDark psychology, the beginner's guideThe bookThe Sociopathic Dating Bible, the instrument this quiz grew out of

Method

The Dark Mirror is a 20-item scenario quiz. Each answer is attributed to one of six axes; a score is the share of your answers that fell to that axis, so scores move in steps of five. Your type is simply your highest axis.

Baseline
0 to 15
Present, not a feature.
Traits
20 to 35
Recognisable and common. Not the person.
Pronounced
40 to 55
The axis is shaping choices.
High
60 to 100
Dominant. The only band to read as the type.

Every axis is read in four bands: baseline (0 to 15), traits (20 to 35), pronounced (40 to 55) and high (60 to 100). Bands are fixed cut points chosen so that high means at least twelve of twenty answers went to one axis. They are the Index's reading aid, not clinical thresholds.

Percentiles are computed against everyone who has taken the quiz and recomputed daily at 09:41 UTC; each recomputation is an edition. Ties are split down the middle: higher than 91% means 91% of takers scored strictly lower, plus half of those who tied.

Regions are browser timezones, so New York means Eastern-time takers rather than the five boroughs; regions with fewer than thirty takes are held back. Nothing here is a population estimate and nothing here is a diagnosis.

Written and read by Kanika Batra, diagnosed ASPD, clinically assessed as Factor 1 psychopathy. An audience portrait, not a census.

The full method, exclusions, reliability and how to cite
The Darkest Cities: Where Dark Mirror Scores Run Highest (Live)