Dark Tetrad personality traits and the propensity to lie across multiple contexts

Abstract

In the current study, we investigated the relationships between the Dark Tetrad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) and the propensity to lie in general and across the domain-specific contexts of academic, relationship, and professional scenarios. Participants (N = 615; 61% female: age M = 26.83, SD = 8.36) completed the Short Dark Triad and Short Sadistic Impulse Scale. They then read and responded to vignettes in three separate contexts (relationship, academic, and professional) and indicated their propensity to lie, lying efficacy, perceived cognitive load, and emotional response to lying. As hypothesized, individuals higher on the Dark Tetrad were found to report a higher propensity to lie. The Dark Tetrad traits were correlated with less cognitive load, more positive affect, and less negative affect while lying. Of the four traits that comprise the Dark Tetrad, Machiavellianism was the strongest predictor across each of the domain specific contexts. Sadism and narcissism both presented as significant and somewhat comparable predictors to deceive. The findings from the current study highlight the dangers of defaulting to truth-based judgements when engaging in interactions involving those high on the Dark Tetrad.