Moral Psychology

What do narcissists and psychopaths actually value in life? A new meta-analysis reveals that people with "Dark Triad" personality traits are driven heavily by a desire for personal power and stimulation, while showing a strong aversion to helping others.

People consistently assume that others are much more likely to lie and cheat than they actually are. Research in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that providing accurate information about honesty levels improves overall social trust.

Nudity in art has always sparked controversy. A recent psychology study found that people who prioritize social order and purity tend to view nude paintings as pornographic, while those who prioritize fairness and autonomy view them as beautiful and interesting.

A new psychology study reveals that people are highly supportive of censoring or devaluing art when the creator is accused of sexual assault, even if they still privately enjoy the artwork itself.

A recent study found a strong association between specific “Dark Triad” traits and moral leniency. College students scoring higher in psychopathy or Machiavellianism were more open to excusing dishonest, rule-breaking, and controversial behaviors.

Artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT struggle to accurately understand global values, a new study suggests. Researchers found that these systems overestimate the morality of Western nations while underestimating non-Western cultures, essentially adopting human-like cultural stereotypes.

Hostile political debate might have less to do with deep ideological divides and more to do with social status. A new study finds that young men frequently use moral outrage as a competitive tool to shame opponents.

Do manipulative people truly lack a moral compass? New research suggests otherwise. While antagonistic individuals judge immoral peers less harshly, they still find them physically unattractive, indicating their leniency is actually a psychological defense mechanism.

A new study reveals a widespread "failure gap," where people systematically underestimate how often bad outcomes happen. This bias is linked to how rarely failures are discussed in the news and on social media.

A new study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests liberals and conservatives share a common moral foundation of preventing harm. Deep political divides emerge because the two sides see different people as vulnerable victims.

New research reveals a fascinating hierarchy in human judgment: we see ourselves as exceptionally moral and give individual strangers the benefit of the doubt, yet we view society and groups as falling short.

When people feel physically closer to someone who could be harmed, they are less willing to sacrifice that person for the greater good, according to a new finding reported in Cognition & Emotion.

New research published in the Journal of Personality analyzes over 43,000 daily moments to determine how virtues like compassion impact individual well-being. The findings suggest these traits benefit the practitioner, not just the recipient.

Research shows that highlighting female victims elicits as much outrage as highlighting children. However, this protective instinct disappears when women step outside traditional gender roles, such as serving as soldiers.