"I could see, in the depth of his eyes, my own beauty reflected": Women's assortative preference for narcissistic, but not for Machiavellian or psychopathic male faces

Lyons, Minna; Blanchard, Alyson

Abstract

ew studies have looked at assortative mating for the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism), or assortative mating for facial characteristics related to personality. In two studies (n's = 302 and 262), we investigated whether women scoring high in the Dark Triad exhibited a preference for high and low Dark Triad male composite faces. In Study 1, using a two alternative forced-choice task and a short Dark Triad scale, there was little evidence for assortative mating. In Study 2, utilising a rating scale, longer personality measures, and controlling for perceptions of aggression, masculinity and dominance, we found positive assortative mating for narcissism in long-term relationships. Findings are discussed from evolutionary psychological perspective.

Citation

Lyons, M., & Blanchard, A. (2016). "I could see, in the depth of his eyes, my own beauty reflected": Women's assortative preference for narcissistic, but not for Machiavellian or psychopathic male faces. Personality and Individual Differences, 97, 40-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.025

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 10, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Mar 17, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2023
• Journal: Personality and Individual Differences
• Print ISSN: 0191-8869
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 97
• Pages: 40-44
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.025