“Dark” personality thrives in societies with corruption and inequality

PSYCHOLOGY A new global study shows that people in societies characterized by corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence are more likely to develop aversive, “dark” personality characteristics such as selfishness or spitefulness.
Figure looking at the city in the dark
Photo: Kevin Mueller, Unsplash

Why are some people more inclined to cheat, manipulate, or harm others for their own gain? A new, comprehensive study with data from nearly 2 million people across 183 countries and all 50 US states points to an important answer:

It is also a matter of the society in which one grows up.

Dark personality as a survival strategy

The study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, examined how aversive social conditions (high corruption, inequality, poverty and violence) are linked to what they call ‘The Dark Factor of Personality’. This is the essence of aversive (“dark”) personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism.

By combining personality questionnaire with objective data on countries’ (and US states’) social conditions assessed approx. 20 years before, the researchers found a clear – albeit moderate – relation:

‘The more adverse conditions in a society, the higher the level of the Dark Factor of Personality among its citizens. This applies both globally and within the United States,’ says Ingo Zettler, professor at SODAS and the Department of Psychology.

He is one of three researchers from the University of Copenhagen behind the study.

About the study

  • The study ‘Aversive societal conditions explain differences in “dark” personality across countries and US states’ used data from 1.8 million people in 183 countries and 144,000 people in the United States.
  • The researchers found a robust relation between social conditions and the prevalence of aversive (“dark”) personality characteristics among the populations.
  • The study was conducted by five researchers: Ingo Zettler, Lau Lilleholt and Martina Bader (University of Copenhagen) as well as Benjamin E. Hilbig (University of Kaiserslautern-Landau) and Morten Moshagen (Ulm University).
  • Read the study here.

‘In societies where rules are broken without consequences and where the conditions for many citizens are bad, individuals perceive and learn that one should actually think of oneself first,’ he points out.

The study shows that countries such as Indonesia and Mexico or US states such as Louisana and Nevada have higher ‘Dark Factor’ levels than countries such as Denmark and New Zealand or states such as Utah and Vermont, which have better societal conditions, in terms of lower corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence.

Small differences – big consequences

Although the proven link between social conditions and the development of aversive personality characteristics is moderate, it can have a significant impact in practice.

‘Aversive personality traits are associated with behaviours such as aggression, cheating, and exploitation – and thus with high social costs. Therefore, even small variations can lead to large differences in how societies function,’ points out Ingo Zettler.

According to the researchers, the study may have implications for our view on social reforms.

‘Our findings substantiate that personality is not just something we are born with, but also shaped by the society we grew up and live in. This means that reforms that reduce corruption and inequality not only create better living conditions just now – they may also contribute to mitigating aversive personality levels among the citizens in the future’ suggests Ingo Zettler.

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