The impact of social support and coercion salience on Dark Triad decision making

We examined the effect of social support and coercion on risk taking associated with the Dark Triad. Participants brought a picture into the lab of an individual who calmed them (social support) or stressed them (coercion). They were then randomly assigned to place one of these pictures beside a computer screen. Participants completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and IOWA Gambling Task (IGT) with the photograph next to the computer. Results indicated that, overall, coercion resulted in less risky decisions. However, among those high in psychopathy, coercion led to riskier decisions. In contrast, those high in narcissism made less risky choices when primed with social support. Taken together, the Dark Triad may respond differently to different social contexts.