Mate-selection and the Dark Triad: Facilitating a short-term mating strategy and creating a volatile environment

By P. Jonason, K. Valentine, Norman P. Li, Carmelita L. Harbeson. 2011

203 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The current study (N = 242) seeks to establish the relationship between traits known collectively as the Dark Triad – narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism – and mating standards and preferences. Using a budget-allocation task, we correlated scores on the Dark Triad traits with mate preferences for a longterm and short-term mate. Men scoring high on the Dark Triad may be more indiscriminate than most when selecting for short-term mates in order to widen their prospects. Furthermore, those high on the Dark Triad – psychopathy in particular – tend to select for mates based on self-interest, assortative mating, or a predilection for volatile environments. We assessed these correlations when controlling for the Big Five and the sex of the participant. We also tested for moderation by the sex of the participant and mating context. Ramifications and future directions are considered. 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/afb9460958c250f0b9f4517e8bcb7099047a51ec

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Citations in the corpus

Resources, Harshness, and Unpredictability (2016, background): “In the case of the Dark Triad traits, that solution appears to be mate with various partners and lower one’s standards (Jonason et al., 2011); abandon mates and do not try to keep them (Jonason, Li, & Buss, 2010); be competitive, selfish, and manipulative (Jonason et al., 2010; Jonason & Webster,…”
The Antihero in Popular Culture: Life History Theory and the Dark Triad Personality Traits (2012, background): “…may indicate a fast life strategy based on immediate rewards and gratification (Figueredo et al., 2005, 2006; Gladden, Figueredo, & Jacobs, 2009; Jonason, Koenig, & Tost, 2010a; Jonason, Li, & Teicher, 2010c; Jonason et al., 2010b; Jonason et al., 2009, 2011; Jonason & Tost, 2010; Troisi, 2005).”
What Lies Beneath the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen: Varied Relations with the Big Five (2013, methodology): “…only return modest estimates of correlations between the Dark Triad and other variables of interest given its reduction in content breadth, then power may be a concern, necessitating sample sizes between two and five hundred (Jonason & McCain, 2012; Jonason et al. 2011; Jonason & Webster, 2012).”
Dominance styles mediate sex differences in Dark Triad traits (2015, background): “…men, in particular, can achieve greater inclusive fitness by adopting the ‘fast’ approach to life that is characteristic of the Dark Triad traits (Jonason et al., 2009, 2011) and there is evidence that men experience more direct mating benefits for having high status (Buss & Schmitt, 1993)…”
Occupational niches and the Dark Triad traits (2014, methodology): “Prior research has detailed how the Dark Triad traits might be associated with preferences for particular social environments in terms of mating (Jonason et al., 2011) and friendship (Jonason & Schmitt, 2012).”
How the Dark Triad traits predict relationship choices (2012, methodology): “One candidate to explain the differences between men and women is the Dark Triad traits, where men reliably score higher than women do (Jonason et al., 2009, 2011).”
Putting the "IRT" in "Dirty" : item response theory analyses of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen - an efficient measure of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism (2013, methodology): “The DTDD has already been used in many contexts, providing insight into mate preferences (Jonason et al., 2011), self-control (Jonason & Tost, 2010), life history theory (Crysel, Crosier, & Webster, 2012; Jonason, Koenig, & Tost, 2010; Jonason & Webster, 2012), and social influence (Jonason,…”