ItemArticle

High trait emotional intelligence lessens the impact of the dark triad on trolling propensity

Title
High trait emotional intelligence lessens the impact of the dark triad on trolling propensity
Creator
Ubaradka, Anantha; Khanganba, Sanjram Premjit; Babu, Kiran; Jethwani, Lajwanti Motilal
Description
Trolling is a pervasive form of online aggression, often rooted in adverse personality traits and amplified by the disinhibiting affordances of social media. The current study applies the I3 aggression model to examine the role of Dark Triad (DT) traits as impelling factors that increase trolling propensity, and Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) as an inhibiting factor that could constrain such behavior. The study also investigates whether TEI buffers the impact of DT traits on trolling and whether age further moderates this moderating effect. A total of 427 adult social media users (Mage = 22.71 years, SD = 3.71) participated in the study. Correlation analysis indicated that all three DT traits were positively correlated with trolling propensity, whereas TEI showed a negative association. Hierarchical regressions demonstrated that all three DT traits uniquely and positively predicted trolling. Machiavellianism and narcissism emerged as robust predictors even after accounting for shared variance with more callous traits such as psychopathy. TEI remained a significant negative predictor, and higher TEI levels attenuated the influence of each DT trait on trolling. Three-way interactions further suggested that the protective role of TEI in the relationship between psychopathy and trolling became stronger with age. Still, this pattern did not generalize to Machiavellianism or narcissism. Although three-way interactions were modest and inconsistent across traits, they underscore a concerning developmental trend as trolling appears to be most pronounced when dark traits surface during the emotionally formative period of emerging adulthood. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.
Source
Current Psychology;Volume;45;Issue;7;Article No.;749;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
Springer
Subject
Dark triad; I3 Aggression model; Trait emotional intelligence; Trolling
Coverage
Ubaradka A., Jindal Global Law School, O. P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, 131001, India; Khanganba S.P., Human Factors & Applied Cognition Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, 453552, India, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, 453552, India, Discipline of Psychology, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, 453552, India; Babu K., Department of Psychology, REVA University, Bengaluru, 560064, India; Jethwani L.M., Department of Psychology, School of Psychological Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru, 560073, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISSN: 10461310;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Ubaradka, Anantha; Khanganba, Sanjram Premjit; Babu, Kiran; Jethwani, Lajwanti Motilal, “High trait emotional intelligence lessens the impact of the dark triad on trolling propensity,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/22002.

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