About the girls... Alcohol does not influence the selection of short-term partners with dark triad traits

A drunk heart speaks a sober mind: Alcohol does not influence the selection of short-term partners with dark triad traits. Gayle Brewer, Paul Christiansen, Diana Dorozkinaite, Beth Ingleby, Lauren O'Hagan, Charlotte Williams, Minna Lyons. Personality and Individual Differences, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.11.028

Highlights
•    Women were averse to high dark triad faces.
•    Women perceived men high on dark triad traits as dangerous.
•    Alcohol consumption did not influence ratings of facial composites.

Abstract: Previous research has found that women dislike facial morphs of high dark triad (i.e., psychopathic, Machiavellian, and narcissistic) men. In this study, we tested the influence of alcohol on mate choice and perceptions of danger in dark triad faces. Women (N = 96) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: control; alcohol; or placebo. In two alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) tasks, participants were first asked to choose between high and low morphs as short-term partners, and then to identify the face they found more dangerous. Analyses indicate that women were averse to male faces with high levels of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism for short-term relationships. Women also perceived men whose faces displayed high levels of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism to be dangerous. Preference for short-term partners with high or low levels of each dark triad trait and perceived danger did not differ across the experimental conditions. Findings are consistent with previous research indicating that women dislike male faces high on dark triad traits. Findings further suggest that faces high on each dark triad trait are perceived to be dangerous and perceptions of dark triad traits are not influenced by alcohol consumption.

Keywords: Alcohol; Dark triad; Facial preference; Machiavellianism; Narcissism; Psychopathy; Threat