Do you remember how many different people you have met in your entire life? If your contacts are less, it will be probably easy for you to know them all. One thing which we all have noticed and even science proves is that nobody is the same in this world.

Different people have different natures, and every one is unique. Some may argue that identical twins are the same. No doubt they are, but only genotypically. They both may differ in nature.

Some are calm and pleasant, and some are jovial, some are depressing, some are quirky, while some are very dangerous. One of the many dangerous people is a serial killer. Yes, you read it right. Serial killer! They have always been in the limelight, whether it be a real newspaper or fictional movies.

You never know the intentions of the person next to you. The same goes for serial killers. You can not identify a serial killer just by face. They may look normal and might be very friendly, but there are some signs that drop them in the category of serial killers. And for your safety, you must know those signs.

But before that, you should know what defines a serial killer?

The Psychology Behind Serial Killers

A serial killer is a psych person who tortures people and murders them. They murder people periodically. Serial killing is a psychological disorder that often involves sexual abuse. The reason for serial killing varies with different serial killers.

For some serial killers, it may be because of anger, while for some, it may be fun, thrill as well pleasure-seeking. Psychopathic behaviour is a common trait among all serial killers. It can be said that all serial killers are psychopaths, but not all psychopaths are serial killers.

Signs of a serial killer

Serial killer. Sounds scary? But you will be more surprised by knowing the signs of a serial killer.

Intelligence:

Wait! Wait! Don't be quick to think that if someone is intelligent, he/she has to be a serial killer. If this were true, then all our scientists and scholars would be a serial killer. Okay, jokes apart. Intelligence is considered a sign of the serial killer because most of the top serial killers have shown high IQ.

Here are some facts to prove that:

Serial killers like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy had an IQ of around 113, and Ed Kemper had an IQ of 140. But unfortunately, they end up using their intelligence to manipulate and convince various people to do things for them.

Torturing small animals:

If you find someone torturing small animals, it is the strongest sign of a serial killer. It is observed among the top serial killers that they kill small animals when they are kids or even in adulthood. Some may cut down the wings of flies, while some may brutally kill small animals like rats, dogs, etc. The reason behind killing animals is their attempt to control lives. The main motive of every serial killer is to control others' life.

Antisocial behavior:

One of the biggest warning signs a serial killer shows, especially as a child, is his/her antisocial behavior.

However, it may not be confused with being introverted. There are people you can't adjust to easily in society or groups. In the case of serial killers holding on to rules is a difficult task. They usually have no friends and are very aggressive.

Shiftlessness

Most of the serial killers exhibit lazy behavior. They often don't stick to their normal jobs. Employers usually fire them very soon just because they are not into their job. However, this is not a very strong sign of serial killers. Shiftless nature can also be due to lack of interest or lack of physical fitness.

Playing with fire:

If a person's games involve violence, it is definitely not a good sign. The most dangerous is playing with fire. If they put things on fire just for no reason, it shows that there is a storm emerging inside. The fire itself is a sign of violence and a person who burns places, houses, or even toys, is not something to be ignored.

Serial killer genes

A person's nature and behavior are no doubt influenced mostly by parents and family members. Many serial killers are born with the serial killer genes. If someone in the family belongs to that trait, it increases the chance of the child being a serial killer. The serial killer genes may have passed on to the child. This may be more like a reason than a sign of the serial killer. But family tensions do affect a child's mental state. A child in an abnormal family is more prone to becoming a serial killer.

Also read about: Alert! Not for Weak Hearted People! How Do Serial Killers Choose Their Victims?

Emotionless

What makes a human different from other organisms are emotions. Though some may not be able to express their emotions, they do have feelings inside. Being totally emotionless is the deadly sign of a serial killer. This is the reason that serial killers murder numerous people and still do not feel anything. Serial killers are not even guilty of their actions. The only emotion they may feel is sexual and hatred.

Predatory aggression

Another sign that a serial killer shows is predatory behavior. It can be understood by comparing it to the aggressive behavior of carnivores. Like predatory animals, serial killers to kill people because they consider it as their need. A person who has a predatory personality believes that the other person is inferior to him, and so they try to control others' life.

High Sexual urge

Most of the serial killers were found to have a high sexual urge. They often rape their victims before murdering them. One such famous example is Seattle serial killer. His real name was Gary Gene Grant. He is often referred to as Seattle's forgotten serial killer. He is called Seattle serial killer because of his notorious activities in Seattle.

The Seattle serial killer raped almost every victim before he murdering them. Most of his victims were teenagers.

Control freak

A control freak is usually driven by the urge that they want everything to be done in a way that they feel is correct. A control freak describes a person with a personality disorder characterized by undermining other people, usually by way of controlling behavior manifested in the ways that they act to dictate the order of things in a social situation.

Similarly, a serial killer may try to control everybody according to them. If they fail to do so, they usually kill that person.

Revenge

Though revenge is just the aggressive nature to retaliate to a particular action of others. If the tendency of taking revenge for every single thing then it is among the signs of a serial killer. One such example is the Alaska serial killer.

The Alaska serial killer is commonly known as Butcher Baker in the media. His real name was Robert Hansen. He is addressed by the name “Alaska serial killer” just because he was from Alaska.

The Alaska serial killer burnt the bus garage of his school in which he studied out of revenge.

The reason for his revenge is because he didn't get attention from the girls of the school when he was a child.

Up next: Fred and Rosemary West: Story Behind Deadliest Serial Killer Couple who killed their Own Daughter

Parting thoughts

It is not necessary that if a person exhibits any of the signs mentioned, is a serial killer. However, if a child shows most of these signs, it is an alarm for the activation of the serial killer gene. Such children should be consulted with a psychiatrist.

Hope these signs are not in your closed ones. If they are, you need to be alert.