Psychopathic traits confer evolutionary or social advantages
Multiple evolutionary psychology studies and fitness analyses suggest that psychopathic traits can function as adaptive fast life history strategies, conferring potential advantages in mating, reproduction, and competitive social environments.
The retrieved papers include multiple studies and theoretical frameworks from evolutionary psychology (e.g., papers 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7) arguing and presenting empirical data that psychopathic traits can confer evolutionary or social advantages, such as short-term mating success, reproductive fitness benefits, and adaptive responses to environmental adversity. There are no papers in the provided set that refute the claim. Therefore, the balance verdict is SUPPORTED.
Burtăverde V, Jonason PK, Giosan C, Ene C, Ene C. Why Do People Watch Porn? An Evolutionary Perspective on the Reasons for Pornography Consumption.. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049211028798
Study indicates that dimensions of reasons for pornography consumption associated with short-term mating strategies correlate positively with Dark Triad traits.
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Hunt AD, Jaeggi AV. Specialised minds: extending adaptive explanations of personality to the evolution of psychopathology.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2022.23
Paper extends adaptive explanations of personality and psychopathology, suggesting individual differences like psychopathy can reflect social niche specialisation and evolutionary strategies.
Ene I, Wong KK, Salali GD. Is it good to be bad? An evolutionary analysis of the adaptive potential of psychopathic traits.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2022.36
Review finds that psychopathy may act as an evolutionary adaptive strategy relying on deception and manipulation for short-term reproductive benefits and fast life history strategies.
Li H, Cao Y. Facing the pandemic in the dark: Psychopathic personality traits and life history strategies during COVID-19 lockdown period in different areas of China.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01549-2
Research shows that individuals exhibit higher levels of psychopathic traits and faster life history strategies in response to adverse environments, supporting adaptive plasticity.
Međedović J, Hromatko I. Adaptiveness of dark personalities: psychopathy and sadism have opposite associations with fertility.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1644767
Study found that psychopathy positively predicted the number of children and negatively predicted the age of first reproduction, supporting potential fitness advantages.
Balbuena L, Kolla N, Logan J. Propensity to Punish in High Psychopathy may Promote Cooperation: Human and Computer Prisoner Dilemma Experiments.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049261435215
Experiments suggest psychopathic traits can thrive through strategic cooperation or deterrence of defection, supporting adaptive hypotheses in social dilemmas.
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