‘Why you should treat charisma as a red flag’

“Today’s crop of smooth talkers tap directly into a specific evolutionary vulnerability. Here’s how to defend yourself.”

“Our ancestors spent most of their time (approximately 94% of human history) as hunter-gatherers, living in nomadic tribes that may have consisted of as few as 20 people.”

“The difference being that, back then, you had the opportunity to observe your peers all day, every day: their flaws, their virtues, their competence, often while facing lethal danger. If a person was merely superficially charming, you found out quickly. Charisma would only win out if accompanied by other important qualities, including sound judgment, good character and wisdom.”

Now, think of all the categories in modern life where charisma can pose a problem, small to large: salespeople of all sorts, bosses & managers, online influencers, celebrities, religion hawkers, politicians, social poseurs & bullshitters anywhere. This suggests an important question for us as a society: Must good leaders, in any field, necessarily have charisma, or not?

Let’s discuss why ‘charisma’ might be a red flag - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Our jumping-off point for this conversation is from Alex Curmi, a psychiatrist and host of The Thinking Mind podcast:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/nov/01/why-you-should-treat-charisma-as-a-red-flag

~Michael