Relation between dark personality traits and the use of deception in relationships

Deception consists of a phenomenon that is present in people's daily lives in their social interactions, as in love relationships and can be related to lies, distortion and hiding information. Thus, it is considered important to study variables that can help in understanding this phenomenon, such as the dark personality triad. The present study aimed to know to what extent the dark personality traits are related to the use of deception and deception perceived by the partner in romantic relationships. Three hundred subjects who were in a loving relationship participated in the study. (75.7% women; M-age = 25.79; SD = 6.1). These answered the scales of Deception Use, Deception Perceived by the Partner, Dark Triad and demographic questions. Results indicating that the Use of Deception and Deception Perceived by the Partner were explained by the Machiavellianism Trace. In conclusion, the Machiavellianism obtained the most consistent relations with the use of deception, suggesting that the tendencies towards insensitivity and interpersonal manipulation, facilitate the engagement in lies.