Texting habits may reveal dark personality traits, researchers say

A psychologist says everyday texting can reveal dark personality traits. Charlotte Entwistle, a psychologist at the University of Liverpool, says language used in texts, emails, casual chats, and online comments can reflect how a person thinks, feels, and relates to others. "Whether in a quick text message, a long email, a casual chat with a friend, or a comment online, the words people choose quietly reveal deeper patterns in how they think, feel, and relate to others," she told The Conversation.

The concept is often described as the Dark Tetrad, comprising four traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism, each with specific attributes. Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy; Machiavellianism centers on manipulation and self-interest; psychopathy includes enduring antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness; and sadism involves deriving pleasure from cruelty, domination, or humiliation.

Entwistle notes that people with darker traits often use more hostile, negative and disconnected language, including more swear words and anger words, such as "hate" or "mad". At the same time, they use fewer socially connected terms like "we".

"Those with darker personality traits often use more hostile, negative and disconnected language, including more swear words and anger words, such as "hate" or "mad"," she explained. "At the same time, they use fewer socially connected terms like "we"."

The patterns may slip into how people speak or write long before explicit behavior shows up. For example, Entwistle points to the personal letters of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger; linguistic analysis of those letters found unusually high levels of self–focused language, such as "I" and "me", and a notably flat emotional tone, she added.

She said: "In everyday situations – dating, befriending, online interactions – recognising patterns of hostility, extreme negativity, and emotional and cognitive rigidity can help people spot early signs. This is particularly for dark personality styles, such as psychopathy or narcissism."

The public discussion of these patterns touches on a broader portrait of psychopathy. Psychopaths display a range of traits, including superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth, a need for stimulation and impulsiveness, pathological lying, the ability to manipulate others, and a lack of remorse and empathy. But not all psychopaths become killers, and experts warn that people can be duped during short interactions.

Not all cases of psychopathy lead to criminal behavior, and researchers caution that diagnosing such traits requires rigorous assessment. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is a diagnostic tool developed by researcher Robert Hare to gauge where someone lies on the psychopathy spectrum. In practice, experts emphasize that language patterns alone do not determine a diagnosis and should be interpreted with care.

Anecdotal accounts from the coverage illustrate how some individuals may manipulate social impressions. For instance, self‑professed psychopaths have described efforts to appear highly engaging or interesting to others, sometimes by tailoring responses to gain trust and influence interactions. Such anecdotes are cited as part of the broader discussion on how social behavior can be shaped by underlying personality traits.

The overall aim of researchers is not to label individuals but to improve understanding of how personality styles emerge in everyday communication. By recognizing patterns of hostility, negativity, and rigidity in language, people may better navigate dating, friendships, and online exchanges, while also supporting those who may be struggling with underlying difficulties.