Love actually: Is relationship status associated with dark triad personality traits and attitudes towards love?
2024

Love and Personality Traits

Sample size: 1101 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Benfante Agata, Di Tella Marialaura, Veggi Sara, Freilone Franco, Castelli Lorys, Zara Georgia

Primary Institution: University of Turin, Italy

Hypothesis

Participants with different relationship status (married/cohabiting vs. single) would show differences in dark personality traits and preferences for love styles.

Conclusion

Married/cohabiting individuals exhibit lower dark personality traits and more positive love styles compared to single individuals.

Supporting Evidence

  • Married/cohabiting participants scored lower on all Dark Triad traits compared to single participants.
  • Age, narcissism, Eros, Agape, Mania, and Storge were significant predictors of relationship status.
  • The final model explained 53% of the variance in relationship status.

Takeaway

This study found that people who are married or living together tend to have fewer negative personality traits and a more loving attitude than those who are single.

Methodology

The study used a web-based survey to collect data from participants on their personality traits and attitudes towards love.

Potential Biases

Self-reporting may introduce bias, and the low internal consistency of the Ludus subscale should be noted.

Limitations

The study relied on self-reported data and had a predominantly female and heterosexual sample.

Participant Demographics

Mean age 40.75 years; 64.5% women; predominantly Italian nationality.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI for predictors provided in the results

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40215

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