For eminently obvious reasons, calling someone a psychopath is not meant as a compliment. But a recent spate of scientific research suggests that maybe, just maybe, there’s an upside to it. This isn’t to say that a vast number of doctors are suggesting that you channel your inner Patrick Bateman, minus the murdering — far from it. Instead, as David Adam of Knowable Magazine writes (via Smithsonian Magazine), a growing number of scientists are seeking out the reasons why psychopathic tendencies have served some people well in work and life.

Adam points out that the early study of psychopaths focused more on amoral or ruthless business leaders — but gradually, more of the subjects studied were incarcerated, which led to the term being associated with violent acts. The article describes a shift away from associating being a psychopath with violent or criminal behavior. “Most psychopathic individuals just live around us,” psychology researcher Désiré Palmen told Adam.