Do Dark Triad Traits Predict Self-Perceived Attractiveness, Mate Value, Sociosexual Orientation, Sexual Aggression, and Number of Sexual Partners? A Replication and Expansion Study - Pallavi Nair, Amanda Champion, Misha Turychenko, & Cory L. Pedersen

 

Dark triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) have increasingly been associated with sexually advantageous outcomes, particularly sexual confidence, physical attractiveness, and short-term mate attainment. The dark triad has also been associated with more sexually aggressive mating tactics, such as sexual coercion and assault. Over the past decade, researchers have expanded the dark triad literature to explore gender differences and predictors of sociosexual dynamics (i.e., self-perceived attractiveness, mate value, and number of sexual partners), yet our understanding remains limited, in part due to small and homogenous samples in past research conducted on predominately university students. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of dark triad literature examines these traits only in men, exposing a gap in the research of this personality type in women.

 

The current study replicated and expanded on Borráz-Leóna and Rantala’s (2021) study exploring dark triad traits as a predictor of several sociosexual dynamics outcomes to include the addition of sociosexual orientation and sexual aggression among a heterogenous sample of both men and women. Survey data from 336 participants (69% women; 27% men; 4% non-binary) suggest that psychopathy and narcissism predict several sociosexual dynamics. Specifically, those with greater psychopathy tend to be more sexually open, endorse sexually aggressive mating tactics, and have a greater number of sexual partners, findings which align with previous literature. Further, individuals with higher levels of narcissism believe they have greater mate value and possess greater levels of attractiveness. The absence of a relation between number of sexual partners and narcissism contrasts with previous research suggesting that grandiosity facilitates a greater number of relationships. Future research should explore this further, and more thoroughly examine relationships between Machiavellianism and facets of human sexuality, given that ours is one of several studies finding it an insignificant predictor of sociosexual dynamics.

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Poster presentation delivered at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, San Diego, 2024.