People with narcissistic traits generate more original and malicious ideas for revenge, study finds
When wronged, some people devise highly creative revenge plots. A recent study shows that this "malevolent creativity" is driven less by how provoked a person feels and more by their narcissistic traits and past malicious behavior.
Individuals with a history of malevolent creativity and narcissistic personalities generate more original and malicious ideas for revenge, according to a study published in The Journal of Intelligence. The research, conducted by a team of psychologists, aimed to understand how personal traits and past behavior influence the application of creativity in antisocial ways.
A sample of 248 undergraduate students took part in the study, which assessed their history of malevolent creativity, narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. The results revealed that narcissism and past malevolent behavior were the most significant predictors of generating harmful and unique revenge ideas, while provocation level did not uniquely predict the outcome.
Written by urgent.news from PsyPost's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
