Infidelity remains a significant concern in romantic relationships, affecting not just the relationship itself but also the emotional, behavioral, and physical health of those involved. While researchers have identified various factors that contribute to unfaithfulness, a recent meta analysis examined whether certain personality traits known as the Dark Triad play a role in infidelity.
Understanding the Dark Triad
The Dark Triad refers to three socially aversive personality traits that exist on a spectrum in the general population: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These are not clinical disorders but rather characteristics studied in everyday people.
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, a sense of superiority and entitlement, lack of empathy, and a heightened need for admiration from others. The type associated with the Dark Triad is grandiose narcissism, which involves exhibitionism, manipulativeness, interpersonal dominance, and aggressive behaviors.
Machiavellianism describes a personality trait marked by cynicism, manipulativeness, callousness, and a lack of morality. The term was inspired by the strategic views of Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli and reflects a calculating approach to interpersonal relationships.
Psychopathy is characterized by emotional deficits, high impulsivity, lack of empathy and guilt, and antisocial tendencies. Unlike the impulsive aspects of psychopathy, Machiavellianism involves more strategic planning and better executive functions.
Why Study This Connection?
Previous research has shown mixed results about whether people with dark personality traits are more likely to engage in infidelity. Some studies found positive associations, others found no relationship, and a few even reported unexpected negative associations. This inconsistency made it difficult to understand how "dark" these traits really are when it comes to loyalty in romantic relationships.
The researchers aimed to resolve this uncertainty by conducting a comprehensive review and meta analysis of available studies. They examined research investigating the relationships between each of the Dark Triad traits and infidelity behavior.
What the Research Found
The meta analysis included 11 scientific articles published in peer reviewed journals, encompassing data from 4,701 adult participants across multiple countries. The studies primarily used self report questionnaires to assess both personality traits and infidelity experiences.
The results revealed statistically significant positive correlations for all three traits, though the strength of these associations varied. Psychopathy showed the strongest relationship with infidelity, with a small to moderate correlation. This finding aligns with the impulsive and deceptive nature of psychopathy, which is often classified as the darkest of the Dark Triad traits.
Machiavellianism showed a weaker but still significant association with infidelity. Despite its malevolent characteristics, the strategic and calculating nature of Machiavellianism may actually lead to less infidelity related behavior compared to psychopathy. People high in Machiavellianism tend to engage in strategic planning and reputation management, which could make them less likely to take the risks associated with infidelity.
Narcissism yielded the most inconsistent results across studies and showed the weakest association with infidelity. This was somewhat surprising given that narcissism has been linked to relationship dissatisfaction, higher sociosexuality, and lower commitment. However, various mediating and moderating factors appear to influence whether narcissistic individuals engage in infidelity, including gender, relationship experience, relationship satisfaction, attachment styles, and empathy levels.
The Bigger Picture
While all three traits showed statistically significant associations with infidelity, these associations were generally small in magnitude. This suggests that dark personality traits may not be as predictive of unfaithfulness as might be expected, at least not on their own.
From an evolutionary perspective, the Dark Triad has been discussed in the context of fast life history strategies, which involve short term mating orientations characterized by numerous sexual experiences with minimal emotional investment. This contrasts with slow life strategies that emphasize long term commitment and emotional investment. Research has consistently shown that higher levels of dark personality traits are associated with preferences for less commitment and more promiscuity, factors that in turn have been linked to infidelity.
Important Limitations
The research had several limitations worth noting. The relatively small number of studies available for analysis limited what conclusions could be drawn. The researchers could not conduct moderator analyses due to the limited number of studies, despite considerable variation across studies.
Most studies used convenience samples, many had small sample sizes, and the majority were conducted in the United States, raising questions about how well the findings generalize to other populations. Additionally, different studies used different measures to assess the same personality traits, which may have contributed to inconsistent findings.
The reliance on self report measures presents another challenge. Given the deceptive nature of these traits and the social undesirability of admitting to infidelity, responses may not always accurately reflect reality. People high in narcissism, for instance, may be influenced by social desirability concerns when completing questionnaires.
What This Means
The findings suggest that while dark personality traits do relate to infidelity, the relationships are complex and relatively modest in size. Personality alone likely does not determine whether someone will be unfaithful. Instead, infidelity probably results from interactions between personality traits, environmental factors like availability of alternative partners, and relationship factors such as dissatisfaction.
The research underscores the importance of examining multiple contributing variables rather than focusing solely on personality. Future studies might benefit from longitudinal and experimental designs, larger and more diverse samples, and measurement approaches beyond self report questionnaires.
This meta analysis represents the first comprehensive examination of the relationship between the Dark Triad and infidelity. While it confirms that these personality traits do correlate with unfaithfulness, the associations are smaller than might be expected based on the "dark" nature of these traits.
Understanding infidelity requires looking beyond individual personality characteristics to consider the broader context of relationships, situations, and environmental factors. Rather than a simple personality based explanation, infidelity appears to emerge from a complex interplay of personal, relational, and situational factors that together shape behavior in romantic relationships.
Ataman, A., & Yalçınkaya, A. Ö. (2025). How “dark” is the dark triad in romantic relationships: A meta-analytic review of the relationship between the dark triad and infidelity. Psihologija, (00), 15-15.
