The Dark Triad and break-up distress

The Dark Triad traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism have previously been associated with short-term relationship styles and low relationship commitment. Relationship commitment, in turn, has been identified as a reliable predictor of distress following romantic relationship dissolution. It was thus hypothesized that high levels of Dark Triad traits would predict lower break-up distress. Results showed, however, that Machiavellianism and psychopathy showed positive zero-order correlations with break-up distress, and narcissism showed no association with break-up distress. A subsequent pre-registered replication supported these unexpected findings. Implications for future research on the Dark Triad and relationship dissolution are discussed.