People interested in cryptocurrencies could share common characteristics with psychopaths, narcissists and Machiavellian personalities, according to an Australian study. These three personality traits, known as the “dark tetrad”, are often linked to risk-taking behaviour.
Investing in cryptocurrency can be a highly speculative business, which can involve significant risk, but also potentially high returns. These elements of risk-taking and the appeal of high returns make virtual currencies particularly attractive to people who share characteristics with the so-called dark triad of personality traits – psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism – and to a lesser extent sadism, which together make a kind of “dark tetrad”.