New electromyography research has found that individuals with more pronounced dark personality traits, primarily psychopathy and sadism, tend to have blunted startle responses. In other words, these individuals are less easily frightened. The study was published in Scientific reports.
The startle response is a natural, involuntary physiological reaction to a sudden and unexpected stimulus, characterized by a rapid, automatic, and exaggerated response. This usually includes physical reactions such as shaking, jumping, increased alertness, increased heart rate, and muscle tension. This response prepares the body to react quickly to potential threats. Its intensity may vary depending on the individual and the nature of the stimulus.
In laboratory studies, the startle response is usually measured by monitoring the movements of the muscle surrounding the eye socket. In general, this response is reinforced when participants experience negative emotions (e.g., disgust, fear, sadness). This is called potentiation of aversive startle.
Previous research indicates that people with post-traumatic stress disorder exhibit increased startle reactivity in safe and dangerous situations. Conversely, repeat offenders and those with significant psychopathic tendencies display moderate startle reactions. Additionally, aversive startle potentiation is less intense in callous individuals who have a shallow emotional range and who often manipulate or exploit others.
The study’s author, Erin E. Buckels, and her colleagues wanted to examine the association between startle reactivity and a group of personality traits known as the Dark Tetrade. The Dark Tetrad includes four malevolent personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. These personality traits make individuals prone to manipulative and harmful behaviors towards others.
Narcissism involves excessive focus on oneself and a lack of empathy toward others. Machiavellianism is characterized by a propensity for manipulation and the use of trickery to achieve personal goals. Psychopathy involves a lack of remorse and a tendency toward antisocial behavior, while sadism involves pleasure in inflicting pain or suffering on others. These traits are often studied together because of their shared potential to cause harm and distress to others.
In the first study, 160 undergraduate students were given a variety of assessments, including those on anxiety, motivation, intolerance of uncertainty, self-reported startle tendencies, dark tetrad personality traits, and subclinical sadism. The researchers also examined participants’ startle reactions using electrodes placed on the body. orbicularis oculi muscle under the right eye and elicited the response using sudden bursts of air and bursts of loud white noise.
A subsequent study assessed the correlation between different measures of startle reactivity, such as general reactivity, self-reported reactivity, and aversive startle potentiation, in relation to personality assessments. Participants included 152 college students and 92 individuals selected on the basis of their extreme scores on measures of sadism. They completed assessments of maladaptive traits, psychopathy, dark tetrad personality characteristics, sadism, and self-reported startle reactions.
The second study had a more complex surprise testing approach. To assess improvement in the startle reflex during sad emotions, participants viewed images categorized into positive, neutral, and negative emotional blocks, in addition to experiencing sudden, loud noises.
Results from the initial study revealed that participants with more distinct sadistic traits showed weaker startle reactions. Women, as well as those with increased intolerance of uncertainty and a stronger behavioral inhibition system, had more pronounced startle reactions. The results of the subsequent study echoed these findings, but also indicated that individuals with exacerbated dark personality traits displayed generally muted startle reactions.
“We conclude that individuals with high levels of sadism exhibit a diminished startle reflex that is relatively immune to potentiation by negative environmental stimuli,” the study authors wrote. “These results provide deeper insight into the biological markers of Dark Tetrad traits and their unique facets. Our findings may also have implications in fields beyond psychology, such as business and economics, where management effectiveness (e.g., handling workplace crises) and financial decision-making ( for example, loss aversion and risk taking) may depend on the personality of a single individual. with socially aversive tendencies.
The study makes an important contribution to the scientific understanding of biological markers of dark traits. However, it also has limitations that must be taken into account. It should be noted that most of the study participants were students. Although the second study included participants with very high levels of sadism, it is still unlikely that it included many individuals with truly high levels of this malicious trait.
The study, Blunted startle reactivity in daily sadism and psychopathy, was authored by Erin E. Buckels, Douglas A. Williams, Paul D. Trapnell, Siavash Kermani Koosheh, Owen M. Javra and Sasha C. Svenne.
#People #suffering #pronounced #psychopathy #sadism #difficult #scare
Image Source : www.psypost.org