Study finds the average crypto investor is a calculating psychopath with an inflated ego
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Scientists from the Queensland University of Technology interviewed more than 500 people to identify the character traits of a crypto investor. According to the experts who published the results of the study in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, the average Bitcoin investor is a calculating psychopath with an inflated ego.
Of the participants, one in four reported owning a cryptocurrency, and two-thirds showed interest in investing in cryptocurrency.
Experts have determined that many investors show signs of “the dark tetrad," a group of four traits consisting of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.
In simple terms, this means that “the dark tetrads" have an inflated sense of their own importance and enjoy the pain of others. They also find it difficult to empathise with others and are cunning and manipulative. All four traits correlated with investment propensity, each for different reasons.
The lead author of the study said that Machiavellians, who are good at deception and use a calculated approach to achieve their goals, love cryptocurrency “primarily because they do not trust politicians and government institutions.”
Narcissists, on the other hand, are drawn to technology because they tend to focus on the positive side of life. Researchers have found that narcissists enjoy cryptocurrencies because of their great faith in the future and the belief that their own lives will improve.
Finally, impulsive psychopaths and sadists love cryptocurrencies because they are thrill seekers who are afraid of missing out.
“Perhaps for them, both the pleasure of watching someone else’s pain and the fear of missing out are related to selfishness,” the lead author of the study concluded.
Source: The Conversation
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