Study Finds That Internet Trolls Are Generally Sadistic Narcissistic Machiavellian Psychopaths

It seems that Internet trolls are giving a very bad name to the mythical trolls of lore. According to a new study conducted by the University of Manitoba Psychology Department, Internet trolls generally manifest signs of sadism, psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, a group of personality disorders known as the “Dark Tetrad”. Laci Green from Discovery News explains the findings in more detail.

If you’ve spent any time on the Internet, you’ll know that there are some people who take pleasure in derailing meaningful conversation with hurtful or meaningless comments. What do these trolls do offline? Laci is here to discuss the psychology of trolls and some disturbing links to the Dark Tetrad.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.