The Dark Factor of Personality and Risk-Taking

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 18; no. 16; p. 8400
• Main Authors: Tiwari, Shambhavi, Moshagen, Morten, Hilbig, Benjamin E., Zettler, Ingo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 09.08.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Antisocial personality disorder; Behavior; Decision making; Health risks; Impulsivity; Narcissism; Personality; Personality traits; Risk; Risk taking; Sadism; Sanctions
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168400

Aversive personality traits have been linked to risk-taking across various domains. Herein, we investigated whether the common core of aversive traits, the Dark Factor of Personality (D), is related to risk-taking. Whereas the conceptualizations of D (common core of aversive traits) and risk-taking (not inherently socially and/or ethically aversive) do not necessarily imply an association, several theoretical considerations do suggest a positive relation between the constructs. In three studies (overall n = 689), we linked D to various self-report measures of risk-taking (Studies 1 and 2), as well as to a behavioral risk-taking task (Study 3). Overall, D was positively (although not always statistically significantly) related to self-reported risk-taking in terms of financial, health-related, and recreational risk-taking, fearlessness, novelty sensation seeking, intensity sensation seeking, and drug use. However, we did not find an association between D and behavioral risk-taking. Our findings provide insights into the relation between aversive personality and risk-taking, but also point to inconsistencies depending on the specific nature of risk-taking studied.