In dystopian worlds like the one portrayed in the TV show Squid Game, people are pushed to do unconscionable things by extremities of inequality, greed, corruption, and violence.
While it’s tempting to say these stories are just fiction, a recent global study says there’s a kernel of truth to them.
The study says that dark personality traits, defined as those focused on maximising personal gain with little regard for others’ wellbeing, are linked to levels of societal conditions such as inequality, corruption and violence.
The results suggest that personality traits like narcissism or psychopathy might be viewed, at least partially, as the outcome of a person’s environment – making them, in other words, a kind of learned behaviour.
People with high levels of psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism, the so-called ‘Dark Triad’ of personality traits, are often viewed as a product of both their genetics and their environments.
