This is hardly shocking.
We finally have the answer to “what kind of psycho stays friends with their ex?” and I’m feeling very vindicated over here.
In a study out of Oakland University and reported by the Daily Mail, researchers Justin Mogilski and Lisa Welling set out to figure out if there’s any correlation between “dark personality traits” — e.g., narcissism, duplicity, psychopathy — and involvement with exes. Since there are previous studies showing that people with these traits pick their friends for strategic reasons, and prefer short-term relationships, researchers were curious if this was true for former flames, too.
Mogilski and Welling asked 860 people to list the reasons why they were for their involvement with their exes. Subjects were asked series of questions to rate the reasons they maintained relationships with exes. They were then surveyed to determine if they had dark personality traits.
In a not that surprising turn of events, the subjects found to have dark personality traits were more likely to stay close to their exes for “practical and sexual reasons.”
Broadly spoke to narcissism expert Dr. Tony Ferretti who agreed with the studies findings, saying that people with dark personality types are most interested in how relationships can personally benefit them, and will stay connected to exes who have “valuable resources.”
“They also have inside information about their exes vulnerabilities and weaknesses that they can exploit and manipulate which gives them a sense of power and control,” he said.
Hmm. Maybe chew on that the next time your ex calls you over for some late night “fun.”
