Are people with dark personality traits more likely to succeed?
> Are people with dark personality traits more likely to succeed?<p>I think these studies are all significantly flawed because successful people with dark personality traits learn to cover up their dark traits.<p>As a result, the cohort of people with "dark traits" in these observational studies will inevitably be skewed towards those who are less successful/intelligent/adaptable.<p>Possessing "dark traits" basically means you aren't limited by a moral compass.  For any given decision, there's a universe of choices - some choices are moral and others are immoral.  "Dark" people can choose from the entire universe of choices, while "light" people can only choose from the moral universe of choices.<p>It should be obvious, then, that people with "dark traits" are more likely to be successful iff they learn to cover up their dark traits.  After all, having greater optionality in your actions is likely to lead to a more optimal path towards your goal.<p>From my experience working with people that run high in these "dark traits", it's not necessarily a bad thing as long as you put them in positions where their incentives are aligned with those around them.