Research Tuesdays

Please note this event is cancelled and will be rescheduled for 27 June. 

Does the name Hannibal Lecter ring a bell? This infamous character from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ is a chilling example of psychopathy in popular culture. However, those familiar with the story know that Dr Lecter was not just a cold-blooded cannibal: he was also a man of impeccable taste, charm, confidence, persuasion, and mental fortitude.

According to researchers at the University of Adelaide, it is Hannibal’s positive traits that more closely relate to psychopathy than his violent tendencies. Psychopathic personality characteristics can actually predispose people to great personal and professional success. And there’s a lot we can learn from those who exhibit these characteristics.

As well as psychopathy, this event will explore what makes some of us optimists and others pessimists. It will discuss how optimism is probably not what you think it is—and why that matters.

Join us in deconstructing psychology stereotypes this June.

The presenters

Kevin Dutton is Australia’s first Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. Before this ground-breaking appointment, Dutton spent two decades as a research scientist at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He is a bestselling author, notably recognised for his book The Wisdom of Psychopaths - Lessons in Life from Saints, Spies & Serial Killers. Dutton also co-hosts the podcast Psycho Schizo Espresso with Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson.

Professor Elaine Fox is Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. She was previously Professor of Psychology and Affective Science at Oxford University, where she founded the Oxford Centre for Emotion and Affective Neuroscience (OCEAN). Fox is also a bestselling author, having penned Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: The New Science of Optimism and Pessimism, among other works.