Dark personalities and fundamental social motives: Understanding the choices between dating and community apps

This study combines motivational priorities with personality traits to shed light on the socio-evolutionary grounds for digital behaviors. We replicated and extended (N = 411) what is known about the relationship between these Dark Tetrad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism), motivational priorities (e.g., finding sexual/romantic mates), and the use of different types of social media (e.g., Tinder). Men and women use social media differently in ways that align with evolutionary predictions of risk-taking and certain mating strategies. The traits of Machiavellianism, sadism, and psychopathy, along with the motives for status-and mate-seeking, were most apparent in men using dating apps. Conversely, women were inclined towards personal safety and kin-protection, regardless of the type of app used. Results highlight the importance of exploring social media use in evolutionary context.