The Dark Triad Traits and Mating Psychology

A common misconception among researchers and laypeople is that socially undesirable traits (e.g., aggressiveness) cannot be evolutionarily important and instead must be pathologies. The assumption is that if we— as a society— disapprove of certain behaviors, attitudes, and cognitions, these “pathologies” are then likely to be discouraged, minimized, and eradicated. Further, it is assumed that these undesirable features cannot simultaneously have some desirable or evolutionarily important functions. One potential example of this is found in the research on the Dark Triad traits of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism. These traits have a history of research and social perceptions that label them undesirable in etiology, function, and sequelae. In this chapter, we review the evidence and logic of how these traits might be pseudopathologies, or adaptations (i.e., historically increased reproductive fitness of their bearers), while still recognizing that having these traits may come with associated costs to the individual and those around them. We present the argument for these traits as “fast” life history strategies and then detail the mating psychology linked to them. We close with a consideration of conceptual and methodological limitations and suggestions for future research to guide and encourage researchers