I really am more important than you: The relationship between the Dark Triad, cognitive ability, and social value orientations in a sample of Japanese adults

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the Dark Triad of personality, cognitive ability, and social value orientations. After gender and age were controlled for, dark personality traits and cognitive ability were examined for their predictive utility of prosocial, individualistic, and competitive social value orientations. A sample of 4730 Japanese adults (60.25% men, 39.75% women) aged between 18 and 71 (M = 49.62, SD = 11.06) completed a large-scale cross-sectional online survey. Results showed that dark personality traits negatively predict prosocial value orientation, whereas higher cognitive ability was linked with an increase in prosocial behavior. Further, higher scores in all dark personality traits predicted an individualistic social value orientation, while Machiavellianism and low cognitive ability predicted competitive behaviors. Results suggest that when there is a conflict between individual and collective interests, individuals high in dark personality traits have a preference for proself behavior and tend to avoid prosocial decisions, prioritizing their benefit over others'.