Researchers Say Web Trolls Are Sadists And Psychopaths

A recent paper has confirmed what most of us already knew, web trolls are psycho. The study was conducted by three different universities in Canada and concluded that web trolls are sadists and psychopaths. The paper was published this month in a journal called Personality and Individual Differences.

The paper surveyed several hundred people looking at internet behavior and personal traits. The paper determined that trolling correlated with higher rates of sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. That last one means a lack of scruples when it comes to manipulating or deceiving others.

The paper said that online trolls are "prototypical everyday sadists." Any web user that has been around long has been exposed to online trolls. Some blame the glut of trolling behavior on forums and comment systems online that allow for anonymous posting.

The paper was compiled by researchers from the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, and the University of British Columbia. The researchers suggest that the act of trolling has nothing to do with anonymous posting ability, but from innate characteristics people possess online and off.

SOURCE: Washington Post