Blunted startle reactivity in everyday sadism and psychopathy

Blunted startle reactivity in everyday sadism and psychopathy

Blog Article

Abstract Two studies examined the amplitude of the startle response as a function of the Dark Tetrad of personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism).We measured electromyographic activity of the orbicularis oculi muscle evoked by a startle lock shock and barrel art stimulus while participants viewed images on a computer screen.Both studies revealed a negative correlation between general startle reactivity (averaged across positive, negative, and neutral images) and sadistic tendencies.

In Study 2, all four dark traits were negative correlates of general startle reactivity.Study 2 also examined the personality correlates of aversive startle potentiation (ASP; indexed by rumchata proof greater reactivity while viewing negatively-valenced images than positive or neutral images).ASP correlated negatively with a variety of personality measures of psychopathy and sadism, their facets, and related personality tendencies (callousness, risk-taking, and restricted affect).

These findings suggest that ordinary people with high levels of callousness and antagonism display physiological evidence of non-reactivity (i.e., blunted acoustic startle in general), whereas psychopathy and sadism are preferentially associated with reduced ASP.