Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
3-2010
Abstract
The Dark Triad – narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy – have traditionally been considered to be undesirable traits. However, emerging work suggest that not only may there be a positive side to possessing these traits but they may also serve important adaptive functions, even if the strategies associated with them are viewed as socially undesirable. In an online survey (N = 336), we investigated the costs and benefits of the Dark Triad within the domain of mating psychology. The social style and lower order personality traits of the Dark Triad traits facilitated increased mateships in the form of poaching mates from others and being poached oneself to form mateships, pointing to possible benefits of possessing the Dark Triad traits. However, the costside was evidenced with rates of mates abandoning their current relationship for a new one. Mate retention is a problem faced by those with these traits and the tactics used to retain mates were characteristic of the Dark Triad: aggressive and narcisstic. Results are discussed using an adaptionist paradigm.
Keywords
Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, Dark Triad, Mate retention, Mate poaching
Discipline
Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Personality and Individual Differences
Volume
48
Issue
4
First Page
373
Last Page
378
ISSN
0191-8869
Identifier
10.1016/j.paid.2009.11.003
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
JONASON, Peter K., LI, Norman P., & BUSS, David M..(2010). The Costs and Benefits of the Dark Triad: Implications for Mate Poaching and Mate Retention Tactics. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(4), 373-378.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/729
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.11.003