Narcissism and sadism can increase sex drive and porn use? Study answers

Dark personality traits seem to have a connection with sexual desires – says a recent study conducted by researchers of University of British Columbia. The study demonstrates that two specific personality traits have the tendencies of enhancing sex drive and pornography usage. The two traits are narcissism and every day sadism. Increased pornography consumption and higher sex drive are associated with these personality traits.
There are four personality traits that are related to manipulative and antisocial behaviors – they are:
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Narcissism is associated with a sense of superiority, and lack of empathy for others. Narcissistic people are also constantly in the need for attention.
Machiavellianism is associated with the increased tendency of manipulating someone for personal gain.
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This trait involves lack of guilt, heightened risk of antisocial behaviour and impulsivity.
Every day sadism refers to the trait of gaining pleasure from causing harm or discomfort to others.
Earlier studies suggested a direct link between these four personality traits and sexual behaviours. While psychopathy was thought to be a bigger influence in sexual behaviour, it is surprising to uncover that in fact narcissism and every day sadism have more prominent roles to play.
The study was conducted on two separate universities with 701 people participating for the first part of the survey. They were asked to fill questionnaires to determine their personality traits. Then they were asked to rate their sexual drive and quantify their pornography consumption.
The second part of the study involved 400 participants. 196 participants were retested after five months. The second part of the study also included a question on romantic relationship status to determine self-reported sex drive.
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The study demonstrated that sadism and narcissism have huge roles to play in determining the sex drive and pornography usage of a person. However, machiavellianism and psychopathy showed little or no relationship with sex drive. It was also observed that men scored higher than women in dark personality traits and sex drive.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.