Landmark study by University of Manitoba researchers finds that internet trolls are Machiavellian sadists and narcissists:
The research … sought to directly investigate whether people who engage in trolling are characterized by personality traits that fall in the so-called “Dark Tetrad”: Machiavellianism (willingness to manipulate and deceive others), narcissism (egotism and self-obsession), psychopathy (the lack of remorse and empathy), and sadism (pleasure in the suffering of others).
It is hard to underplay the results: The study found correlations, sometimes quite significant, between these traits and trolling behavior. What’s more, it also found a relationship between all Dark Tetrad traits (except for narcissism) and the overall time that an individual spent, per day, commenting on the internet.
Pair with this fantastic video on how to tame the trolls and a lesson in handling haters from Benjamin Franklin.
Annnnd no surprises.
Once again science documents a thing we already knew.
Nice to have the stats, though.