T
o become a real estate agent, one needs a unique set of skills. But are these professionals truly as heartless as the public perceives them? To find out, I put three agents through a Voigt-Kampff test inspired by Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Blade Runner.

    The test is designed to determine whether someone lacks empathy, a trait often associated with sociopaths. Here are the results:

    LYDIA, 27

    You're in a desert, and you see a tortoise crawling towards you. You flip it over, but instead of helping, you leave it to die. Why? Lydia: I think I'd want to put it out of its misery if it was really injured.

    Describe the good things about your mother in single words: Caring, lovely, kind, fun, cute. You hear a child crying behind you and ignore it. Why? Not my problem. If you're holding a newborn baby that won't stop crying, what do you do? Call my mum. If she doesn't answer, I'd probably go for a walk.

    You watch someone drown in a lake, but choose not to save them. Why? Lydia: It's someone who's done something awful to me or is generally horrible.

    GEORGE, 34

    A butterfly lands on your hand and you slowly crush it. What do you feel? George: Not good. Killing a butterfly feels worse than swatting a fly. You slap your pet dog in the face for no reason. Why? I don't know why I'm finding this funny.

    You see a homeless person asking for food, but you walk past them with a full meal in your bag. How do you justify that decision? George: Honestly, I don't know how I'd justify it or if I even would. I think I'd just walk past them.

    LIAM, 31

    A wasp lands on your arm. Do you swat it, squash it, or let it go? Liam: I'd shoo it away. Someone gives you a calfskin wallet made from a calf. How do you react? Calfskin? Yeah, I'd be happy with it.

    You see someone lying injured on the street and everyone ignores them. What do you do? You try to help him? You witness someone feeding a stray cat poisoned food. Oh god, that's wrong.

    A coworker asks you to lie for them. How do you respond? It depends on the situation, but I probably would lie for them.