A response to the claim “dark tetrad” personality types are drawn to Bitcoin

Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology precocious published a study connected the acheronian tetrad property and cryptocurrency attitudes. They recovered acheronian tetrad personalities “like” Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.

Many, particularly those holding anti-crypto sentiment, interpreted the results to mean Bitcoin investors are calculating psychopaths that deficiency humility. However, researchers were keen to accent that their findings did not needfully bespeak that.

What’s more, further investigation of the survey showed flaws to bash with bias and the usage of objectively untrue assumptions, which formed uncertainty connected the relation betwixt cryptocurrency investors and acheronian traits.

What is the acheronian tetrad?

Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams coined the word acheronian triad of property successful their 2002 study, published successful the Journal of Research successful Personality, called “The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.”

In a illustration of 245 students, Paulhus and Williams measured for narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy utilizing “standard measures,” laboratory and self-reported correlates.

They said radical who people precocious successful these traits are much apt to perpetrate crimes, origin societal distress, and make problems successful the workplace. These individuals grounds behaviors including disagreeableness, callousness, deceitfulness, egocentrism, deficiency of honesty and humility, and the inclination to manipulate and exploit others.

The brace concluded that the acheronian triad of personalities are overlapping but chiseled constructs.

Other researchers person since expanded connected Paulhus and Williams’ enactment by adding a 4th property trait to the premix – sadism, which refers to deriving a consciousness of pleasance from acts of cruelty.

The word acheronian tetrad refers to the 4 acheronian traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism together.

What astir the acheronian tetrad and Bitcoin?

Researchers Brett Martin, Polymeros Chrysochou, Carolyn Strong, Di Wang, and Jun Yao published a study this period connected the power of the acheronian tetrad traits arsenic they pertain to cryptocurrency attitudes.

The squad acknowledged that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies person seen tremendous maturation precocious and wished to scrutinize wherefore individuals would question to “buy risky investments.” More connected that later.

566 radical were asked to implicit online property surveys and reply questions related to conspiracy beliefs, positivity, and the fearfulness of missing out.

“The pursuing mediators were examined arsenic reasons for radical buying crypto: (1) conspiracy beliefs (e.g., distrust of government), (2) positivity and (3) fearfulness of missing retired (FoMO).”

Through compiling and correlating the responses, they found:

Narcissists similar crypto arsenic they thin to clasp religion successful the aboriginal and person assurance that their lives volition amended implicit time. The communicative that “crypto is simply a mode out” is simply a beardown gully for the narcissist.

Machiavellians similar crypto arsenic they thin to distrust politicians and governments. Typically, crypto advocates judge governments are corrupt, and that crypto is simply a mode to antagonistic governmental corruption.

Psychopaths deficiency affectional quality and empathy. Martin et al. noted psychopaths are much resistant to accent and anxiousness and purposely question risk-taking behaviors, including gambling. Psychopaths similar crypto due to the fact that they fearfulness missing retired connected gains that others are experiencing.

Sadists bask the suffering of others, and portion investing successful crypto is improbable to harm different people, sadists similar crypto because, akin to psychopaths, they excessively don’t privation to miss retired connected imaginable gains either.

The researchers said their survey showed radical with acheronian tetrad traits “drive crypto buying.” But they besides accidental not everyone who is simply a crypto capitalist has acheronian tetrad traits. In different words, they conceded that the illustration whitethorn not beryllium typical of the wider crypto buying public.

“Beyond the tendency to physique wealth, our probe shows acheronian property traits besides thrust crypto buying.”

The information of probe bias

Pannucci and Wilkins, successful their 2011 survey titled “Identifying and Avoiding Bias successful Research,” said bias tin hap during immoderate of the planning, information collection, analysis, and work phases of research.

Understanding this means readers should presumption each technological studies with a captious eye. And, successful the lawsuit of the acheronian tetrad study, it could beryllium argued that Martin et al. approached the readying of this survey with a antagonistic bias against cryptocurrency.

Martin et al. acceptable retired to larn much astir the narration betwixt the acheronian tetrad and cryptocurrency attitudes. As such, the researchers had already associated a antagonistic bias towards cryptocurrency investors.

“we wanted to cognize astir the narration betwixt the alleged “dark tetrad” property traits and attitudes towards cryptocurrency.”

It would beryllium absorbing to find retired much astir the narration betwixt the light triad property traits and cryptocurrency attitudes.

The airy triad traits dwell of Kantianism, treating others arsenic you would similar to beryllium treated, humanism, a content that radical tin enactment collectively for the payment of all, and religion successful humanity, acknowledgment of the “good” successful everyone.

Isn’t staying successful fiat riskier than buying Bitcoin?

A cardinal constituent of the acheronian tetrad survey is the conception of distrust successful the politicians and government. Researchers categorized the trait of Machiavellism, which they associated with distrust of politicians, arsenic negative/unwanted/linked to incorrect thinking.

Yet determination are countless examples of governmental corruption that springiness bully crushed not to spot governments. As such, is it just to accidental distrust of authorities is simply a “dark trait?”

Similarly, the full ground of the acheronian tetrad survey was to find retired much astir wherefore radical would take to enactment wealth into risky investments. While cryptocurrency concern is seen arsenic risky, implicit the semipermanent Bitcoin has proven itself importantly little risky than fiat.

Therefore, to statement cryptocurrencies arsenic “risky investments” is different illustration of bias that doesn’t instrumentality into relationship clip frames. In doing so, researchers made a presumption that isn’t objectively true, astatine slightest not crossed a agelong clip frame.

Taking these points into consideration, could it beryllium that crypto investors are simply informed individuals who are preparing for the worst by spreading hazard successful alternate investments?

If so, past radical who grounds these qualities could beryllium described arsenic cultured, knowledgeable, and much relevantly, cautious and risk-averse. All of which are acold from undesirable traits.