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Scientists say cryptocurrency holders are likely narcissists, psychopaths or sadists
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Those who own cryptocurrency are more likely to have “dark tetrad” personality traits, a new study finds.
Investors in digital currencies are also more likely to be men, to rely on fringe social media sources, to believe in conspiracy theories, and to feel like victims.
That’s according to new research that asked 2,001 American adults whether they owned or had owned cryptocurrency. About 30 percent of them said they had.
They were then asked questions about important demographic information and others aimed at revealing political, psychological and social traits.
The researchers then took that data and tried to figure out which characteristics were the best indicators of whether someone had purchased cryptocurrency.
They found that, among other important characteristics, those who had purchased them were more likely to report having personality traits aligned with the “dark tetrad.” This is made up of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.
The dark tetrad is a psychological theory that builds on the more famous dark triad, and adds sadism. The triad was first proposed at the turn of the century, and researchers have argued that those who engage in this behavior are more likely to be disruptive addicts, commit crimes, or cause other problems.
But the most telling factor in determining whether someone owned cryptocurrency was whether they relied on fringe social media sources for news, the researchers said.
They also highlighted other important characteristics: masculinity, tendency to argue, higher income and feelings of victimhood.
The researchers acknowledged that the sample of participants was relatively small and that those in the study were required to self-report their characteristics. But they found strong correlations between some of the characteristics, which they suggested could lead to further research into what drives people to cryptocurrency.
The new study, “The Political, Psychological, and Social Correlates of Cryptocurrency Ownership,” is published in the journal PLOS ONE.