Individuals with dark traits have a heightened connection to certain types of fictional characters
A new study published in Psychology of Popular Media sheds light on why some people are drawn to morally ambiguous fictional characters, such as villains and antiheroes. The research suggests that antagonistic personality traits like Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism—collectively known as Dark Tetrad traits—are associated with admiring and identifying with these types of characters. This association appears to reflect how individuals view their own values, motivations, and personalities in relation to these fictional figures. Fictional heroes, antiheroes, and villains play a central role in popular media, captivating audiences with their moral clarity, ambiguity, or outright malice. Previous studies have established that people are often drawn to characters who share traits with themselves, but much of this research has focused narrowly on single types of characters or excluded key personality traits like everyday sadism. This study sought to expand on that foundation. “Fiction is a big part of a lot of people’s lives, and a lot of people have pretty personal relationships with their favorite fictional characters. What draws certain individuals to certain characters?” …