Study finds empathetic daters are less likely to reject manipulative partners
Mar 7th 2026
A speed-dating study published in Personal Relationships found that people high in empathy and altruism did not prefer manipulative partners but were less likely to reject Machiavellian and sadistic dates, while Machiavellianism and sadism generally lowered dating success.
- 128 mostly single young adults completed personality surveys and took part in six speed-dating events that produced 1,429 heterosexual dates.
- Machiavellianism and sadism were linked to being chosen less often by dating partners.
- Narcissism and psychopathy were not rejected more often than average.
- Narcissists, psychopaths, and sadists showed higher interest in short-term encounters, while Machiavellians pursued both short-term and long-term interest.
- People high on the light triad were not especially attracted to dark-trait partners but were less likely to reject Machiavellian and sadistic dates.
- There was no evidence that dark-trait individuals preferred partners with light traits, so opposites did not actively seek each other.
- Researchers controlled for physical attractiveness and cautioned that effect sizes were small and self-report measures could understate dark traits.
- Authors recommend longer-term and more diverse studies to see if these early choices lead to toxic relationships and to test online or queer dating contexts.