Dark Psychology Facts

Dark Triad & Risk-Taking: Narcissism, Machiavellianism & psychopathy are linked to increased unnecessary risk-taking (health, financial, social), partly due to impulsivity & lack of empathy for others' safety.

Power & Reputation in Manipulation: Manipulative power isn't just coercive force; it's also the ability to facilitate others' success (or failure) & the reputation for having such power.

Malignant Narcissism: More severe than NPD. Includes NPD traits + antisocial behavior, ego-syntonic sadism & paranoia, yet retains some capacity for guilt/loyalty (unlike psychopaths).

Online Disinhibition Effect: Anonymity & lack of immediate social cues online can amplify harmful behaviors like trolling & cyberbullying. Everyday sadists are often prone to trolling.

Dunning-Kruger Effect: A cognitive bias where low-ability individuals overestimate their competence, while experts may underestimate theirs. Can accompany dark traits.

Dehumanisation's Neural Correlates: Brain scans show less activity in social cognition regions when people view photos of perceived low-status out-groups (e.g., homeless).

"Monster Study" (1939): Unethically attempted to induce stuttering in normally fluent orphan children via negative suggestion, highlighting the harm of psychological manipulation.

"Little Albert" Experiment (1920): Unethically conditioned an infant to fear a white rat (and other furry things) by pairing it with a loud noise, demonstrating learned fear.

Milgram Experiment (1960s): Revealed a strong & unsettling tendency for individuals to obey authority figures, even when instructed to perform actions causing apparent harm to others.

Stanford Prison Experiment (1971): Showed how readily ordinary people conform to assigned social roles, even when those roles involve power imbalances & abuse (guards vs. prisoners).

Sadistic Victim-Blaming: Individuals high in everyday sadism are more likely to blame victims, partly due to the sadistic pleasure derived from witnessing suffering & reduced empathy.

Everyday Sadism: A subclinical tendency to derive pleasure from others' physical or psychological suffering, even in non-criminal, everyday contexts like online trolling.

Stockholm Syndrome: A rare coping mechanism where hostages or abuse victims (~8% of hostages) develop positive feelings or sympathy towards their captors/abusers.

Folie à Deux (Shared Psychosis): A rare syndrome where delusional beliefs are transmitted from a "primary" (psychotic) individual to a closely associated "secondary" (often dependent/isolated) person.

Plausible Deniability: Subtle manipulative tactics are often ambiguous, allowing the manipulator to deny malicious intent if confronted (e.g., "just kidding!")

Reality Erosion: Many covert manipulation tactics (gaslighting, negging) aim to make victims systematically doubt their own perceptions, memory & sanity.

Personalised Attack Vector: Successful manipulators often first identify & then exploit the specific psychological vulnerabilities of their target.

Loss Aversion Exploited: Phishing attacks threaten negative consequences (e.g., credit score damage) to prompt immediate, fear-driven action.

Halo Effect Exploited: Scammers impersonate well-known, trusted brands, leveraging your positive associations to lower your guard.

Authority Bias Exploited: Hackers spoof messages from CEOs or government agencies to compel compliance due to perceived authority.

Scarcity Bias Exploited: "Only 3 left!" or countdown timers create urgency & FOMO, pressuring impulsive purchases.

Anchoring Bias Exploited: Salespeople quote an inflated initial price, making subsequent (still profitable) offers seem more reasonable by comparison.

Hyperbolic Discounting Exploited: "Free" instant prizes or limited-time deals lure quick, uncritical responses by prioritising immediate rewards.

Recency Effect Exploited: Scams often reference current events or recent interactions to appear more relevant, timely, and legitimate.

Ostrich Effect Exploited: Phishing emails create urgency (e.g., "account closing soon!") to discourage critical thinking & prompt rash action.

Covert Narcissists often use passive-aggression, guilt-tripping, or playing the victim as subtle forms of manipulation.

Provoke & Feign Calm: Manipulators may say something triggering, then use your emotional reaction to paint you as unstable.

Martyrdom Tactic: Eagerly agreeing to help, then excessively complaining about the effort to induce guilt or exert control.

The Silent Treatment & Regression (acting childlike) are manipulation tactics used to control situations or elicit sympathy/compliance.

Accelerated Intimacy: Manipulators might rush emotional closeness, sharing deep "secrets" early to build quick dependency & trust.