Psychology News
A group of Italian researchers examined how the dark triad of personality traits is linked to specific humor styles. The study is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
The Study
The dark triad traits of personality comprise Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. The psychological theory of personality popularly associates these personalities with negative humor styles such as maladaptive, aggressive, or self-defeating comic styles.
In order to understand better the dark triad and humor styles, the researchers recruited 715 adult participants aged 19–83 years. They were asked to complete two questionnaires, namely, the Comic Style Markers (CSM) and the Short Dark Triad (SD3).
The Findings: How a Dark Personality Uses Humor
The results provided interesting insights into the use of humor in dark personalities. Moving away from the general assumptions around humor and the dark triad, the study claimed that each of the three personalities subscribes to a specific kind of humor.
It was found that narcissism is linked to wit, whereas psychopathy and Machiavellianism are majorly associated with irony, sarcasm, and cynicism.
To Know More You May Refer To
Dionigi, A., Duradoni, M., & Vagnoli, L. (2022). Humor and the dark triad: Relationships among narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy and comic styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 197, 111766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111766