Internet trolls are actually sadists- study says

[irishock]

The YouTube comment section is known as a special circle of hell—and that might be because the people leaving provocative comments are literally sadists and psychopaths, a new study titled “Trolls just want to have fun (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886914000324)” has discovered.
Canadian psychologists Erin Buckels, Paul Trapnell, and Delroy Paulhus set up a survey of personality inventories matched with “Internet commenting styles”—in other words, they attempted to psychoanalyze commenters, which should be cause for a Nobel prize (and hazard pay) in itself. What came from the study will likely surprise no one: people who like to troll are also likely to show signs of “sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.”
Those three character flaws make up the ominous “Dark Tetrad (http://www.sott.net/article/266289-Dark-Tetrad-of-personality-traits-Everyday-sadists-take-pleasure-in-others-pain) of personality.” Sadism means delighting in the harm of others, psychopathy is an antisocial personality disorder, and Machiavellianism means a person’s tendency to be unemotional and deceitful. Trolls seem to have all three on lock.
Of course, it might just be that the Internet has a tendency to turn people into sadists as a result of its anonymity. This was enshrined by the “online disinhibition effect” that leads us to treat other people online as less than human. (It’s also known by a less scientific name (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/greater-internet-fuckwad-theory).) If we can’t see their faces, they’re not real, right?
Not all commenters are psychopaths, however. Thankfully the study concludes, “Enjoyment of other online activities, such as chatting and debating, was unrelated to sadism.”


Read more: Internet Trolls Are Sadists and Psychopaths, Psychologist Report Finds | TIME.com (http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/13/internet-trolls-are-actually-sadists-study-finds/#ixzz2tHefZVA7) http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/13/internet-trolls-are-actually-sadists-study-finds/#ixzz2tHefZVA7

[Thebesteva]

Youtube comments r pretty bad but nothing compares to Spurstalk. Honestly, a "Normal" human being would be traumatized from posting in the NBA forum

[spurraider21]

i've become much more of an asshole irl since i ventured down to the nba forum

[AussieFanKurt]

i've become much more of an asshole irl since i ventured down to the nba forum

tbh i think i've become a better person... get anger out online with dickheads I'll never meet and happier more with people in real life

[Thebesteva]

tbh i think i've become a better person... get anger out online with dickheads I'll never meet and happier more with people in real life

Its actually kind of rubbed off on me in real life. I often put people down excessively since joining here

[AussieFanKurt]

Its actually kind of rubbed off on me in real life. I often put people down excessively since joining here

yeah I can see why one would have less tolerance for stupidity

[RD2191]

Its actually kind of rubbed off on me in real life. I often put people down excessively since joining here
:lmao

[benefactor]

ST is a nice outlet. I've never been on a forum that almost strictly governed itself. I think we do a pretty good job despite all the bullshit.

I'm pretty chill in real life, save being horribly sarcastic.

[mouse]

So before YouTube TRolls were normal?

[mouse]

I have been TRolling since 1979 and have yet to act like the no life losers on YouTube.

[Rogue]

Canadian psychologists... stopped reading when I saw that. Why do they bother to study "internet trolls" when they should've saved the time for the mental treatment of their own folks imho (most of whom would rather sleep naked with people who have the same tools between the legs as their own)

[mouse]

The word "TRoll" has been missed used like the word douchebag and Tool at one time they both served a poupose.

[Spanklin]

I believe it. I read all the hateful comments following Justin Bieber's timeless works of arts and all I can think is how can people be this cruel? No doubt sadists, animal abusers, & future murderers (not to mention asshats without any sense of musical genius). It's just like the proven porn/strip clubs/m-f anal sex turns you into a serial rapist linkages. Youtube is breeding a new age of mass hysteria; they'll come in waves like the whole nation is Harlem on riot.

[silverblk mystix]

Pretty much true - this place consists of nothing but douchebag pussies who need a severe beating.

Yes, that includes you too.

[ChumpDumper]

lol Tino is a pussy

[Joseph Kony]

Pretty much true - this place consists of nothing but douchebag pussies who need a severe beating.

Yes, that includes you too.

Fat mariachi :lol

[silverblk mystix]

:lol shitty pants man & suck up troll taking the bait

[ChumpDumper]

:lol shitty pants man & suck up troll taking the baitlol Tino is afraid of me.

[monosylab1k]

one thing ST has changed is my interactions on FB and other social media. Usually using Culburn trolling techniques will get people just as butthurt as it does here. Like after the SB when a bunch of butthurt Peyton slurpers kept trying to illogically rationalize how he's still better than Brady, i just resorted to posting "Brady 3, Peyton 1. Thats it and thats all" over and over until they melt down or give up.

[Reck]

ST is a nice outlet. I've never been on a forum that almost strictly governed itself. I think we do a pretty good job despite all the bullshit.

I'm pretty chill in real life, save being horribly sarcastic.

LOL ST spoils us all.

I got banned from a site for saying nigga and doing mild trolling. I was shocked because I was a long time member there and they still banned me. :lmao

It wasn't even that bad. lol

[Avante]

You roll with the culture of whatever board you're on, here it's all about the put down. the talking shit in hiding because we can. I know how to get others involved....obviously. All it takes is brag about something/anything and....VARRRROOOOOMMMM...like bees to honey. It's funny.

I troll because nobody here wants anything else.

If we are going to have studies made.....

Put kids in hiding with no repurcussions for their actions and we see what we see here. Cowards talking shit because they can.

[Reck]

You roll with the culture of whatever board you're on, here it's all about the put down. the talking shit in hiding because we can. I know how to get others involved....obviously. All it takes is brag about something/anything and....VARRRROOOOOMMMM...like bees to honey. It's funny.

I troll because nobody here wants anything else.

If we are going to have studies made.....

Put kids in hiding with no repuercussions for their actions and we see what we see here. Cowards talking shit because they can.

Is that why you got banned from all those other track and field boards? Because you're only rolling with the culture? :lol

[DMC]

Pretty much true - this place consists of nothing but douchebag pussies who need a severe beating.

Yes, that includes you too.

How much belly hangage do you have after you were up to 500lbs and lost what, 300? I'd bet you could braid it.

[Rogue]

I got banned from zonaforo a couple of times just because I spoke broken Spanish over there... if such rules were applied on ST, I believe that the number of members would've been halved within a month or two tbh.

[Reck]

I got banned from zonaforo a couple of times just because I spoke broken Spanish over there... if such rules were applied on ST, I believe that the number of members would've been halved within a month or two tbh.

What were you doing on a spanish forum? Real Madrid fan?

[Avante]

Is that why you got banned from all those other track and field boards? Because you're only rolling with the culture? :lol

I got banned from......one.....and it had a forum like this one, The Playhouse. Worst case of.....unless you agree with those of us who have been here for a long time you;re in trouble.....I've ever seen. And since nobody there could hang with me when it comes to my pet topics (just like here).....banned!

Why say shit like....all those...????

[Rogue]

What were you doing on a spanish forum? Real Madrid fan?
Just trolling around tbh, and most times I could hardly understand what other posters wrote :lol Maybe I got banned because I was a troll rather than my Spanish was poor?

And I ain't a Madrid fan nor a Barca fan, not even a Chelsea fan (even though Chelsea is like my favorite soccer team in the world, tbh) I just troll them all for fun tbh.

[The Reckoning]

I got banned from......one.....and it had a forum like this one, The Playhouse. Worst case of.....unless you agree with those of us who have been here for a long time you;re in trouble.....I've ever seen. And since nobody there could hang with me when it comes to my pet topics (just like here).....banned!

Why say shit like....all those...????


i thought you were banned there so you came here because someone on this board wanted you to. now you have 16k posts in an unbelievable amount of time. wtf. you're a great troll dude no one can doubt that...but you post on average 25 times a day. how the hell can you do that for two years straight?

[Reck]

i thought you were banned there so you came here because someone on this board wanted you to. now you have 16k posts in an unbelievable amount of time. wtf. you're a great troll dude no one can doubt that...but you post on average 25 times a day. how the hell can you do that for two years straight?

You're forgetting his other account, RaZoN. That one has like an extra 3k posts on.

[Reck]

Just trolling around tbh, and most times I could hardly understand what other posters wrote :lol Maybe I got banned because I was a troll rather than my Spanish was poor?

And I ain't a Madrid fan nor a Barca fan, not even a Chelsea fan (even though Chelsea is like my favorite soccer team in the world, tbh) I just troll them all for fun tbh.

Probably for the trolling.

Your spanish is pretty good from what I've seen here.

[Avante]

i thought you were banned there so you came here because someone on this board wanted you to. now you have 16k posts in an unbelievable amount of time. wtf. you're a great troll dude no one can doubt that...but you post on average 25 times a day. how the hell can you do that for two years straight?

I was invited here but not because of that board, it was someone I know from another board we both (and a few others here) post on. It was....."dude, you'd fit right in at....."

Being retired and one of those who only needs about 4 hours sleep, what's time?

[Avante]

You're forgetting his other account, RaZoN. That one has like an extra 3k posts on.

Everyone always worried about me and what I do, gotta love it.

[Rogue]

Mi español es mal sin Google, en mi opinión. Me he aprendido un poco de español por la Rosetta Stone en el año pasado (durante abril y mayo, antes de escribir las novelas de Goddess), pero me he olvidado la mayoría de él.

[SnakeBoy]

New study shows that Canadian psychologists are easily trolled.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

i've become much more of an asshole irl since i ventured down to the nba forum

Really? Being an asshole online makes me more tolerable irl, balances things out.

[spurraider21]

Really? Being an asshole online makes me more tolerable irl, balances things out.
Yeah ideally it's an outlet, but I've just developed tougher skin and my humor has gotten a lot darker as a result