Lobaczewski Was Right: Stalin Had No Forehead

[Mari]

The other day, I red this article on Political Ponerology substack:

Lobaczewski Was Right: Stalin Had No Forehead

What Stalin's profile might say about his personality

ponerology.substack.com

From the article:

Correlation between Impulsiveness, Cortical Thickness and Slant of The Forehead in Healthy Adults
Impulsiveness is a multidimensional psychological construct with high clinical interest because it is a risk factor for several psychiatric disorders. This study was designed to investigate structural correlates of self-reported impulsiveness … As a secondary objective, and based on preliminary findings concerning the positive relationship between impulsiveness and the slant of the forehead degrees (SFD), we explore this relationship and the correlation between SFD and cortical thickness (CT) of the entire cortex. … Positive correlations between 14 impulsiveness scores and SFD were also found. In conclusion, CT in prefrontal and temporal areas influences self-reported impulsiveness in healthy adults. Furthermore, SFD could influence the CT of regions involved in impulsiveness. Finally, we suggest that a higher SFD [is associated with] higher self-reported impulsiveness in healthy adults.
The article includes this image, showing a man with a slanted forehead angle of 24 degrees.



The mean SFD in this study was around 17.73 degrees, with a standard deviation of 5.49. Among the 48 subjects measured, the minimum angle was 10 and the highest was 34. I used GIMP’s measure function to determine Stalin’s SFD. It’s a whopping 32 degrees. (In this photograph of an older Stalin, it is around 28 degrees, so let’s be generous and average it out to 30, which still puts him over two standard deviations from the mean.)

Fascinating read, and frankly, I realised why some types of faces make me uneasy - i.e. men´s faces with a low hairline.
I could never pin point why, but it kind of makes sense now.

The article reminded me of certain groups that I´ve noticed that have this no-forehead faces more often, like in the case of European Roma/Gypsies. When one looks at the percentage of deviant behaviour among them, makes more sense in this context.

An extreme example:


Also here; hardly a forehead in the picture below:



I went and searched a bit other groups, and it seems that there is quite a few no-foreheads among leaders of terrorist groups:


How much do you think is Jolani´s slope?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902835942211326321

Azov guys:


Here is also an example of migrants imported to Europe:


Lastly, I couldn´t find a good profile picture (or any picture taken from the side, for that matter) but here is also a person with deviant behaviour and who he reminds of:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1878075782695686180

Fascinating topic!

 

[Cosmos]

While I also think that there certainly can be something to it, in certain cases, I do think it is probably similarly complex as anything else. For example, we have learned that it can be very hard if not impossible to “discover“ or “diagnose“ a Psychopath or Organic Portal by outward appearances. Would also be way to easy and black and white I think.

In other words: If someone has a forehead like that, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean at all that he has to be a Stalin like person IMO. He could also be a pretty normal person. Having said that, in statistical terms, you are probably able to say that people with similar foreheads are, on average, more likely than other foreheads to display Stalin like characteristics. So, on that basis you could keep the possibility in mind that a person with that forehead could be dangerous (but doesn’t have to be).

 

[Elisasheva]

Let's add some more interesting examples:

Hitler's forehead - around 28-29 degrees


Trump - also not so impressive, 27 degrees


Puitn - 26 degrees


Orban - 35 degrees!


Obama - 15 degrees


George Bush - 22 degrees


Nelson Mandela - that's an impressive 13-14 degrees!

I think it also varies when it comes to racial traits - black people have higher foregeads in general, while eastern europeans (or generally white male) have it lower. Middle eastern men have it even lower. Look at Will Smith's high forehead as another example:

and middle eastern man:

Their foreheads tend to have even the same angle as their noses.

Personally, I think that says absolutely nothing and depends mainly on the characteristic traits of a given race of people, place of origin, birth, etc.

 

[Mari]

I do think it is probably similarly complex as anything else.

Agree.


Perhaps it has something to do with the shape of the head; it being disproportionately squashed and Neanderthal-like, where the forehead/prefrontal context should be. So, it perhaps it all is more with having room for prefrontal context - no-forehead, low hair line, squashed front and top of the head - than the angle of the forehead.
Like, the smaller the head, the smaller the brain, and lesser cognitive abilities in general.

Here is another interesting experiment in the tweet below - for easier read of the thread, click here:

Thread by @martianwyrdlord on Thread Reader App

@martianwyrdlord: Human biodiversity usually focuses on IQ, but HBD involves far more. The Dungeons & Dragons system maps human variation to 6 primary attributes. I used Grok to determine the ability modifiers we sh...…

threadreaderapp.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1900308408370114594

When looking at the photos of Aboriginal people, their faces look too big compared to the rest of the head.


High functioning psychopaths possibly do not have any of outer characteristics different than normal people at all.
Also, i.e. when asking Grok, "if psychopaths have less grey matter does that mean they have smaller brain?"
It answered:

Not necessarily. The idea that psychopaths have less gray matter doesn’t automatically mean their brains are smaller overall. Gray matter refers to the regions of the brain made up of neuron cell bodies, where a lot of the brain’s processing happens—like thinking, feeling, and decision-making. Studies have shown that psychopaths often have reduced gray matter in specific areas, like the prefrontal cortex or amygdala, which are linked to impulse control, empathy, and emotional regulation.
But brain size is a different story. Total brain volume includes both gray matter and white matter (the connections between brain regions), plus other structures. A reduction in gray matter in certain spots doesn’t mean the whole brain shrinks—other parts could be normal or even larger. Research hasn’t consistently shown that psychopaths have smaller brains overall, just that there are differences in how their brains are wired and structured.
So, less gray matter in psychopaths points to functional differences, not necessarily a smaller brain. It’s more about quality than quantity.

 

[ApotheosisMMC.]

Well, the same study indicates that the results must be taken with caution even though they found a marked positive correlation and of course they are looking for impulsivity markers instead of psychopathy, among the subjects of the sample it is said that:

Two advertisements were placed in training centers and libraries of Barcelona city (Spain) in order to recruit our sample. All the subjects were right- handed. The volunteers were screened by a short private clinic interview using Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Sheehan et al., 1998). Those with hyperactivity and attention deficit-related symptoms or a psychiatric background in first-degree relatives were excluded. In total, nine volunteers were excluded. The final sample consisted of 48 volunteers. (66.7% male) with an age mean of 36.2 years-old (SD = 9.9). Their academic level was elementary in 7 subjects (14.6%), intermediate in 16 subjects (33.3%) and university degree in 25 subjects (52.1%). Participants completed three self-reports and after that they went on to take a profile picture, whose method will be further detailed later. Finally, an appointment was made for magnetic resonance imaging. Each participant signed an informed consent before entering the study and agreed on the use of data for research purposes.

The breed is not specified, but it seems that most would be Spanish men (more than half of these would have university education so there may not be many migrants of scarce resources from recent waves that have arrived in Europe?)
It would be interesting to repeat this type of studies in other races taking into account the anatomical differences of each.

I also come to mind, cases of brain plasticity in which certain areas of the brain despite being reduced by various factors achieve a capacity similar to larger tissue volumes.

The matter is even more complicated since there are people who have suffered harm in the prefrontal zone and others who have that form, in other cases the damage is at the brain level without observing any deformation marked in the craneum and of course in the spectrum of psychopathy; Several types do not respond to frontal characteriopathy and can be very cold and control their impulses very well (at least in public).

Of the same study:

In short, the above-mentioned data suggest that morphological variations in prefrontal regions play a fundamental role in impulsiveness, both in healthy and clinical subjects.However, impulsiveness seems not to be solely under the control of the prefrontal cortex (Braquehais et al., 2010), since temporal regions are also implicated (Hanford et al., 2016; Lyoo et al., 2006).

Some limitations to our study must be duly considered. First, we did not control the consumption of tobacco or other substances A factor that is strongly associated with externalization or disinhibitory disorders (alcohol dependence, drug taking or behaviour disorders) is negative urgency of the model UPPS-P (Settles et al., 2012), where no correlation was found.

Second, the size of the sample was modest, which limits the generalization of our results. However, the number of participants is similar to comparable former previous studies (Kumari et al., 2009; Schilling et al., 2012).

Third, our study has focused on subjective impulsiveness measurements and, despite being described as an efficient method (Mathias et al., 2008), it would be convenient to replicate or refute our findings with objective measurements since there exists the evidence of no correlation between objective measurements and GMV in frontal areas (Tschernegg et al., 2015). That is why we must be cautious and limit our findings to the instruments used rather than to impulsiveness broadly speaking.

 

[palestine]

Thank you @Mari (and others) this article is very interesting. It is a milestone in the process of screening psychopaths - and who knows if it's relevant, and which "step" it would fit (in the sense, "start of the screening survey", middle, etc). At least that's a "hint".

B. Maddoff, the banker who ruined a huge chunk of the economical fabric of normal people, without remorse:




(Shall we have this thread in the ponerology section?)

 

[Wandering Star]

It is a milestone in the process of screening psychopaths

I don't think so.

Perhaps it could be an indication of the level of intelligence, the genetic basis that allows for high intelligence and abilit.

There are very intelligent psychopaths, very, very intelligent.

This can lead to filtering for racism.

It's dangerous.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

A few points:

-This slope idea, if valid, applies just to prefrontal cortex function (and what Lob. called frontal characteropathy), not psychopathy. So there will be plenty of psychopaths with perfect foreheads.

-The measurement used in the study was from glabella to trichion, not strictly the visible slope of the skull. So with that Obama picture, for example, the slope would be steeper, because it has to be measured to the hairline. (Receding hairlines make this more complicated.)

-The measurement is only valid for comparison when the person adopts at "natural head pose". In some pictures on this thread, the person looks like they are tilting their head back a bit. This will exaggerate the slope measurement. (E.g. Orban)

 

[palestine]

-This slope idea, if valid, applies just to prefrontal cortex function (and what Lob. called frontal characteropathy), not psychopathy. So there will be plenty of psychopaths with perfect foreheads.

If you would like to remove my post with Maddof, I wouldn't mind, please, as I don't know if he falls into this category.

Thank you for the precision!

Andrew M. LOBACZEWSKI - "Political ponerology"

Frontal characteropathy:

Damage to this area occurred rather frequently: at or near
birth, especially for premature infants, and later in life as a
result of various causes.

The spectacular
ponerogenic role which results from character disorders
caused by this can thus be considered somewhat characteristic
of past generations and primitive cultures.
Brain cortex damage in these areas selectively impairs the
above mentioned function without impairing memory, associative
capacity, or, in particular, such instinct-based feelings and
functions as, for instance, the ability to intuit a psychological
situation. The general intelligence of an individual is thus not
greatly reduced. Children with such a defect are almost normal
students; difficulties emerge suddenly in upper grades and affect
principally these parts of the curriculum which place burden
on the above function.

The pathological character of such people, generally containing
a component of hysteria, develops through the years.
The non-damaged psychological functions become overdeveloped
to compensate, which means that instinctive and affective
reactions predominate. Relatively vital people become belligerent,
risk-happy, and brutal in both word and deed.
Persons with an innate talent for intuiting psychological
situations tend to take advantage of this gift in an egotistical
and ruthless fashion. In the thought process of such people, a
short cut way develops which bypasses the handicapped function,
thus leading from associations directly to words, deeds,
and decisions which are not subject to any dissuasion. Such
individuals interpret their talent for intuiting situations and
making split-second oversimplified decisions as a sign of their
superiority compared to normal people, who need to think for
long time, experiencing self-doubt and conflicting motivations.
The fate of such creatures does not deserve to be pondered
long.

Such “Stalinistic characters” traumatize and actively spellbind
others

Comparative considerations also led the author to conclude
that Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, also known as Stalin,
should be included in the list of this particular ponerogenic
characteropathy, which developed against the backdrop of
perinatal damage to his brain’s prefrontal fields. Literature and
news about him abounds in indications: brutal, charismatic,
snake-charming; issuing of irrevocable decisions; inhuman
ruthlessness, pathologic revengefulness directed at anyone who
got in his way; and egotistical belief in his own genius on the
part of a person whose mind was, in fact, only average. This
state explains as well his psychological dependence on a psychopath
like Beria

When we contemplate the scope of the evil Stalin helped to
bring about, we should always take this most ponerogenic
characteropathy into account and attribute the proper portion of
the “blame” to it

 

[Approaching Infinity]

If you would like to remove my post with Maddof, I wouldn't mind, please, as I don't know if he falls into this category.

I think it's ok to leave. Madoff is a high-functioning psychopath and has a decent forehead.