Dark Triad

New research finds that men high in psychopathy and sexual desire, and women who are less picky with matches, report more sexual encounters via Tinder. The findings suggest dating apps favor fast, opportunistic mating strategies shaped by personality.

New research highlights shared and distinct brain connectivity patterns linked to narcissistic and antisocial traits. Using resting-state fMRI and graph theory, the study found altered activity across key brain networks involved in self-reflection, emotion processing, and cognitive control.

Researchers have uncovered a connection between societal adversity and dark personality traits like callousness and manipulation. In places marked by corruption and violence, people were more likely to endorse self-serving behaviors—even when it meant harming others.

Researchers used high-resolution brain imaging to investigate psychopathy’s neural basis, finding widespread structural differences in men with high psychopathy scores, particularly in frontal-subcortical circuits linked to impulse regulation, decision-making, and behavioral control.

People who strongly admire celebrities tend to score higher in materialism and vulnerable narcissism, according to a new study. The findings also suggest that feeling similar to a celebrity may play a key role in developing intense admiration.

A nationwide Swedish study finds most women who commit lethal violence act in emotionally charged situations, with low psychopathy scores and little planning. Severe mental disorders were linked to a more complex blend of reactive and instrumental features.

A sweeping new study reveals that narcissistic traits—especially antagonistic rivalry—are linked to more frequent experiences of social exclusion, shaped by how narcissists perceive ambiguous interactions, how they behave toward others, and how exclusion can reinforce narcissism over time.

Psychologists are learning that psychopathic traits can be subtle, widespread, and surprisingly influential. These 11 studies offer a science-backed glimpse into how callousness, impulsivity, and emotional detachment shape everything from romantic behavior to mortality risk and facial emotion processing.

Researchers found that narcissists and psychopaths score lower on emotional intelligence—if measured with objective tasks. But when asked to self-rate their emotional skills, narcissists gave themselves higher marks. The findings highlight key differences in how personality shapes self-perception.

Christians scored higher than atheists on both self-compassion and grandiose narcissism, suggesting a mix of self-kindness and moral self-importance. But the two groups were equally prone to shame and fragile narcissism, revealing unexpected similarities in emotional vulnerability.

A new study finds that people with low emotional awareness tend to make more utilitarian moral decisions—but only when psychopathic traits are also present. The findings reveal how emotional detachment and empathy deficits interact in shaping difficult moral choices.

A new study of combat sports athletes in Turkey has found that narcissistic personality traits are linked to higher levels of aggression, regardless of gender, age, or experience—suggesting a stable psychological influence that may shape behavior in competitive fighting environments.

Support for Donald Trump is linked to darker personality traits, including increased psychopathy and decreased empathy, new research finds. The study also connects conservative political beliefs to lower benevolence, suggesting personality may shape how people engage with politics and ideology.

Researchers used structural brain imaging to explore how psychopathy is linked to externalizing behaviors. The study found that variations in brain connectivity—especially in emotion and attention networks—may help explain why some individuals with psychopathic traits engage in antisocial behavior.