The Dark Triad traits are commonly thought of as overwhelmingly negative, but could they have positive effects on people’s sex lives? A study published in the journal of Personality and Individual Differences suggests that people higher in narcissism and psychopathy may be associated with less fear and higher self-esteem in sexual contexts.
The Dark Triad includes narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Narcissism includes grandiosity and entitlement, Machiavellianism involves a lack of empathy and morality, and psychopathy is characterized by thrill-seeking and impulsiveness. These traits have been researched in terms of how they harm others, including sexual partners, but results have not been replicated. This study seeks to expand and replicate research on the Dark Triad and sexual satisfaction.
Study authors Benedikt Steininger and Jakob Pietschnig utilized 896 participants who were German-speakers recruited online. The sample ranged in age from 18 to 66 with 72% of participants being female. Participants completed measures on narcissistic personality, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sexual self-concept.
Results showed that men exhibited higher scores on all of the Dark Triad personality traits. Preoccupied thinking about sex was linked to all three traits as well. Motivation to be sexually active was linked with psychopathy and narcissism but was only linked to Machiavellianism in men.
Narcissism and psychopathy were also linked to some aspects of sexuality that can be perceived as positive, such as sexual self-esteem and assertiveness. Machiavellianism in women was negatively related to sexual self-esteem and assertiveness, which could make it an obstacle to having an enjoyable sexual life for women high in it.
Similarly, sexual anxiety was negatively linked to narcissism and psychopathy, but was positively related to Machiavellianism in women. Narcissism in women and psychopathy in men were both linked to a higher number of sexual partners.
“Narcissism and psychopathy were characterized by higher sexual preoccupation, sexual motivation, sexual self-esteem, sexual assertiveness, and, in turn, lower levels of sexual anxiety and fear,” the researchers explained. “Additionally, those high in psychopathy indicated a greater number of lifetime sexual partners and a higher generalized satisfaction with their sexual lives.”
“This may mean that people who are high in psychopathy and narcissism approach their sexuality with more self-confidence and positive feelings than others, while the personality traits can also to some extent be protective against negative emotions related to one’s sexual life.”
This study took steps into better understanding the relationship between the Dark Triad personality traits and several aspects of sexual satisfaction and behavior. Despite this, it has limitations. Firstly, this study excluded people identifying as homosexual or asexual. Future research should include these groups. Additionally, this study relied heavily on self-report, which can be subject to social desirability biases and lying.
The study, “Evidence for the superordinate predictive ability of trait psychopathy: The Dark Triad and quality of sexual life“, was published March 23, 2022.