#SocialTrust

A global study analyzing nearly 2 million people across 183 countries shows that societies plagued by corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence are more likely to develop “dark” personality traits—psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. The findings suggest that the environment people grow up in helps mold behavior that affects communities, governments, and social trust. Research from the University of Copenhagen and colleagues indicates that social adversity is a strong predictor of selfish, aggressive, and exploitative tendencies, with important implications for policy and Thai society.

A sweeping new global study shows that people living in societies plagued by corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence are significantly more likely to develop what psychologists term “dark” personality traits, including psychopathy, narcissism, and machiavellianism—a finding with profound implications for social policy and Thai society. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, analyzing data from nearly 2 million individuals across 183 countries, report that social adversity is a strong predictor of psychological tendencies towards selfishness, aggression, and exploitation, raising key questions about how governance and environment shape the character of entire populations (Phys.org, news.ku.dk).