Dec 9, 2020 01:04 AM
https://psyche.co/ideas/are-people-with-...to-succeed
EXCERPT: ‘Dark’ personalities come in various shades, but at the core of all of them is a tendency to callously use others for personal gain. [...] For 15 years, research into dark personality traits (including narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) has been rapidly expanding. We now know that these traits are far more evident, on average, in men than women. We know that approximately 1-2 per cent of individuals in the general population display extremely dark personality features – enough to meet the clinical threshold for a personality disorder – and about 10-20 per cent of individuals have moderately elevated levels. We know that even people with moderate levels of dark traits can wreak havoc: they are more likely to lie and cheat, show racist attitudes, and be violent towards others.
As researchers, we have studied these traits ourselves. [...] we have recently started to focus on the light side of human personality instead ... Our recent study of more than 36,000 adults suggests that these traits are common: around 30-50 per cent of people show prominent light personality trait profiles, depending on world region, and these traits are particularly common in women.
We wanted to understand which personality profile – dark or light – leads to more success and happiness in the long run. There is an oft-touted saying that ‘Nice guys finish last’ and, on the face of it, this might seem correct. [...] But does the research back this up?
Experimental studies support the idea of a ‘successful’ dark personality, but only up to a point. One study found that people with psychopathic personality traits win more points on a negotiation task where they are required to compete with a partner, but fewer points on a task that involves cooperation. [...] But their success in the real world is questionable. In corporate settings, those with dark personality traits are slightly more likely to emerge as leaders and are seen as charismatic but, when it comes to getting the job done, they tend to achieve less and are considered poor team players. Our recent study also found that political figures with dark personality traits are more likely to get elected and hold their positions, but other studies show that they are much poorer at getting legislation passed. Hedge fund managers with these traits generally obtain significantly lower financial returns on the investment funds they manage. Overall, individuals with dark traits engage in more counterproductive work behaviour, such as theft and abusive supervision. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they don’t end up with higher average incomes than their peers with light personalities.
On top of this, those with dark personality traits don’t have much luck outside of work. Even if they manage to avoid prison (imprisonment being a high possibility for those with extreme traits), they are at increased risk of suicide and violent death. They are also not particularly happy: people with dark traits tend to report poor self-image, an inability to intimately connect with others, and little life satisfaction. In contrast, we found that those with light personality trait profiles have fulfilling, intrinsically rewarding lives: they generally have a more positive view of themselves, more positive connections with others and find life more satisfying.
The key factor here seems to be empathy: the capacity to resonate with – and understand the perspective of – the emotional experiences of others. [...] Regardless of where you fall on these dimensions of personality, we believe in the fundamental ability to grow and change. Large-scale studies have documented that your general personality (eg, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness) continues to change throughout your lifetime, and we’ve found the same to be true when it comes to light and dark traits.
Specifically, we found that the extent to which you exhibit light or dark personality traits tends to shift as you get older. As people age – particularly as they progress from 30 to 40 – they become more likely to display light personality trait profiles. Other research has shown that moral character traits, such as conscientiousness and self-control, are generally more common in older people. Age doesn’t completely account for the results – younger people can display light personality traits – but the research suggests that what can fundamentally differentiate light and dark profiles is a process of psychological maturation... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: ‘Dark’ personalities come in various shades, but at the core of all of them is a tendency to callously use others for personal gain. [...] For 15 years, research into dark personality traits (including narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) has been rapidly expanding. We now know that these traits are far more evident, on average, in men than women. We know that approximately 1-2 per cent of individuals in the general population display extremely dark personality features – enough to meet the clinical threshold for a personality disorder – and about 10-20 per cent of individuals have moderately elevated levels. We know that even people with moderate levels of dark traits can wreak havoc: they are more likely to lie and cheat, show racist attitudes, and be violent towards others.
As researchers, we have studied these traits ourselves. [...] we have recently started to focus on the light side of human personality instead ... Our recent study of more than 36,000 adults suggests that these traits are common: around 30-50 per cent of people show prominent light personality trait profiles, depending on world region, and these traits are particularly common in women.
We wanted to understand which personality profile – dark or light – leads to more success and happiness in the long run. There is an oft-touted saying that ‘Nice guys finish last’ and, on the face of it, this might seem correct. [...] But does the research back this up?
Experimental studies support the idea of a ‘successful’ dark personality, but only up to a point. One study found that people with psychopathic personality traits win more points on a negotiation task where they are required to compete with a partner, but fewer points on a task that involves cooperation. [...] But their success in the real world is questionable. In corporate settings, those with dark personality traits are slightly more likely to emerge as leaders and are seen as charismatic but, when it comes to getting the job done, they tend to achieve less and are considered poor team players. Our recent study also found that political figures with dark personality traits are more likely to get elected and hold their positions, but other studies show that they are much poorer at getting legislation passed. Hedge fund managers with these traits generally obtain significantly lower financial returns on the investment funds they manage. Overall, individuals with dark traits engage in more counterproductive work behaviour, such as theft and abusive supervision. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they don’t end up with higher average incomes than their peers with light personalities.
On top of this, those with dark personality traits don’t have much luck outside of work. Even if they manage to avoid prison (imprisonment being a high possibility for those with extreme traits), they are at increased risk of suicide and violent death. They are also not particularly happy: people with dark traits tend to report poor self-image, an inability to intimately connect with others, and little life satisfaction. In contrast, we found that those with light personality trait profiles have fulfilling, intrinsically rewarding lives: they generally have a more positive view of themselves, more positive connections with others and find life more satisfying.
The key factor here seems to be empathy: the capacity to resonate with – and understand the perspective of – the emotional experiences of others. [...] Regardless of where you fall on these dimensions of personality, we believe in the fundamental ability to grow and change. Large-scale studies have documented that your general personality (eg, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness) continues to change throughout your lifetime, and we’ve found the same to be true when it comes to light and dark traits.
Specifically, we found that the extent to which you exhibit light or dark personality traits tends to shift as you get older. As people age – particularly as they progress from 30 to 40 – they become more likely to display light personality trait profiles. Other research has shown that moral character traits, such as conscientiousness and self-control, are generally more common in older people. Age doesn’t completely account for the results – younger people can display light personality traits – but the research suggests that what can fundamentally differentiate light and dark profiles is a process of psychological maturation... (MORE - details)
