People With Dark Personality Traits Use Physical Touch As Manipulation
Whether you are a physically affectionate person or not, a good hug from someone can make all the difference on a bad day. The science behind hugging and the role of physical touch in relationships is a popular topic for psychologists, and recently, they’ve made an interesting discovery: some people use hugs for nefarious purposes.
A new study published in Current Psychology found that people with dark personality traits — also known as the “dark triad” — use physical touch as a tool for control. While people with these personality traits often dislike being touched themselves, they use touch to manipulate their romantic partners.
“What we were looking at is the manipulative use of touch alongside an individual’s preference not to be touched,” said Richard Mattson, professor of psychology at Binghamton University, in a press release. “What’s new about our work isn’t just in identifying problematic uses of touch — it’s linking those behaviors to the type of person who is inclined to use them on a romantic partner.”
Read More: Healthy, High-Quality Relationships Matter More Than We Think
Using Touch as Manipulation
In this study, researchers were interested in the ways attachment styles and personality traits influence how we give and receive physical affection.
To find out the answer, they surveyed over 500 college students about their opinions on touch. Questions included how comfortable they were being touched, at what point do they consciously avoid being touched, and if they ever used touch in a negative way.
What they found was that those with dark triad personality traits were more likely than others to use physical affection and touch as a means of manipulation.
They also noticed a difference between male and female respondents. Men were less likely to use touch as a form of manipulation, especially if they disliked physical touch. Instead, men used touch for reassurance and to ease relationship anxiety.
Dark triad women were more likely to manipulate their partners via touch, even if they were extremely uncomfortable with touch themselves.
What Is the “Dark Triad?”
Although it may sound like a term solely used on TikTok, the “dark triad” has a long academic history. Coined in 2002, the dark triad is a psychological theory used to explain negative behaviors.
The current theory says that there are three separate but often overlapping personality traits shown in people who behave negatively towards others: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. These three traits share a lot of specific features, including manipulativeness, deception, and a lack of empathy.
It’s important to note that the dark triad is not a diagnosable term, but is often used by psychologists to help people identify and avoid toxic relationships.
What We Can Learn From Linking Touch to Personality
Oftentimes, people who fall within the spectrum of the dark triad don’t do well in relationships. They usually engage in short-term relationships plagued with difficulty and sometimes even end in violence. Understanding the role that touch plays for these individuals can continue to help psychologists educate people on the negative traits to look out for in a relationship.
Additionally, the team behind this study hopes their research inspires clinical applications that could help those with dark triad traits learn to use touch in a healthier way.
“Touch alone could be palliative for situations in which somebody needs support, and we know that has positive downstream effects on health, even if the person finds physical touch aversive,” noted Mattson. “We can potentially leverage touch in these scenarios in order to have frontline, inexpensive interventions for those who haven’t learned to use touch in healthy, reciprocal ways and instead rely on it for control or self-protection.”
Read More: How Can You Spot and Avoid These 5 Types of Toxic Relationships?
Article Sources
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