Abstract
Numerous studies highlight the significance of blushing in social interactions, yet the impact of personality traits on perceived blushing remains unclear. Psychopathic traits, often associated with antisocial behaviour, contrast sharply with the prosocial nature of blushing.
Our study aimed to explore the relationship by examining 107 individuals (70 women) aged 18 to 36 (mean age 23 years, SD 3 years). Participants completed the Short Dark Triad (SD3), Light Triad (LT), and Blushing Propensity Scale (BPS). To control self-report bias, participants' long-term partners assessed their partners' personalities using the same questionnaires. Participants then assessed the attractiveness and trustworthiness of facial photographs with neutral expressions under two conditions, with and without blushing.
Preliminary results revealed a negative correlation between the Psychopathy scale (SD3) and perceived trustworthiness in both blushing (r = -0.348, p < 0.001) and non-blushing faces (r = -0.342, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that low empathy and high impulsivity/thrill-seeking traits are negatively associated with the perceived trustworthiness of faces. Additionally, a significant difference was found between self-reported blushing tendencies and partner reports, with self-reports being significantly higher: t(106) = 5.13, p < 0.001. This discrepancy may be due to individuals detecting blushing through increased temperature in blushing areas (such as the face or chest) without visible redness. Moreover, significant discrepancies were found between self-reports and partner-reports of all Dark Triad scales, with self-reports being significantly higher. These differences may be attributed to the "pink glasses" effect, whereby individuals have a non-objective perception of their romantic partners, or the tendency of individuals high in Dark Triad to select partners who idealize them and provide the admiration they seek. Surprisingly, results suggest that neither Dark Triad traits nor Light Triad traits affect blushing or blushing perception.
