Everyday Sadists Take Pleasure In Others’ Pain
Most of the time, we try to avoid inflicting pain on others — when we do hurt someone, we typically experience guilt, remorse, or other feelings of distress. But for some, cruelty can be pleasurable, even exciting. New research suggests that this kind of everyday sadism is real and more common than we might think.
Two studies led by psychological scientist Erin Buckels of the University of British Columbia revealed that people who score high on a measure of sadism seem to derive pleasure from behaviors that hurt others, and are even willing to expend extra effort to make someone else suffer.
The new findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
“Some find it hard to reconcile sadism with the concept of ‘normal’ psychological functioning, but our findings show that sadistic tendencies among otherwise well-adjusted people must be acknowledged,” says Buckels. “These people aren’t necessarily serial killers or sexual deviants but they gain some emotional benefit in causing or simply observing others’ suffering.”
Based on their previous work on the “Dark Triad” of personality, Buckels and colleagues Delroy Paulhus of the University of British Columbia and Daniel Jones of the University of Texas El Paso surmised that sadism is a distinct aspect of personality that joins with three others — psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism — to form a “Dark Tetrad” of personality traits.
To test their hypothesis, they decided to examine everyday sadism under controlled laboratory conditions. They recruited 71 participants to take part in a study on “personality and tolerance for challenging jobs.” Participants were asked to choose among several unpleasant tasks: killing bugs, helping the experimenter kill bugs, cleaning dirty toilets, or enduring pain from ice water.
Participants who chose bug killing were shown the bug-crunching machine: a modified coffee grinder that produced a distinct crunching sound so as to maximize the gruesomeness of the task. Nearby were cups containing live pill bugs, each cup labeled with the bug’s name: Muffin, Ike, and Tootsie.
The participant’s job was to drop the bugs into the machine, force down the cover, and “grind them up.” The participants didn’t know that a barrier actually prevented the bugs from being ground up and that no bugs were harmed in the experiment.
Of the 71 participants, 12.7% chose the pain-tolerance task, 33.8% chose the toilet-cleaning task, 26.8% chose to help kill bugs, and 26.8% chose to kill bugs.
Participants who chose bug killing had the highest scores on a scale measuring sadistic impulses, just as the researchers predicted. The more sadistic the participant was, the more likely he or she was to choose bug killing over the other options, even when their scores on Dark Triad measures, fear of bugs, and sensitivity to disgust were taken into account.
Participants with high levels of sadism who chose to kill bugs reported taking significantly greater pleasure in the task than those who chose another task, and their pleasure seemed to correlate with the number of bugs they killed, suggesting that sadistic behavior may hold some sort of reward value for those participants.
And a second study revealed that, of the participants who rated high on one of the “dark” personality traits, only sadists chose to intensify blasts of white noise directed at an innocent opponent when they realized the opponent wouldn’t fight back. They were also the only ones willing to expend additional time and energy to be able to blast the innocent opponent with the noise.
Together, these results suggest that sadists possess an intrinsic motivation to inflict suffering on innocent others, even at a personal cost — a motivation that is absent from the other dark personality traits.
The researchers hope that these new findings will help to broaden people’s view of sadism as an aspect of personality that manifests in everyday life, helping to dispel the notion that sadism is limited to sexual deviants and criminals.
Buckels and colleagues are continuing to investigate everyday sadism, including its role in online trolling behavior.
“Trolling culture is unique in that it explicitly celebrates sadistic pleasure, or ‘lulz,’” says Buckels. “It is, perhaps, not surprising then that sadists gravitate toward those activities.”
And they’re also exploring vicarious forms of sadism, such as enjoying cruelty in movies, video games, and sports.
The researchers believe their findings have the potential to inform research and policy on domestic abuse, bullying, animal abuse, and cases of military and police brutality.
“It is such situations that sadistic individuals may exploit for personal pleasure,” says Buckels. “Denying the dark side of personality will not help when managing people in these contexts.”
Comments
Sadists have perfected their ways.
First as psychotics who can charm their way into government, law enforcement and even medicine. No one is safe.
Sadistic acts have not only been condoned but legalized.
Sadists do seek each other out and their atrocities are now standard procedure in law enforcement and medical practice. You’ll know it when you see it.
It always involves “for their own good” and a procedure is forced upon them.
The moment you see a forced procedure, you’ll know.
How true, medicine especially. I have personally had a crucial emotional/counselling supportive friendship trashed by an anaesthetist who saw her brother’s well-being as incompatible with her narcissistic demands. That was a manifestation in their 20s. It left me unable to believe that I could have healthy friendships without them being destroyed by a predatory sadist/sociopath.
In their 30s, trashing another friendship.
In their 40s, trashing s business partnership and supporting a football team.
Now in their 50s, utter despot evil.
I gave up in 2006. I am collateral damage of the NHS.
When having nothing to do with them is an act to be crushed, life is no longer worth living. They cannot be prosecuted, they associate with like-minded sickos and for them, the only thing that matters is not their career, but destroying yours.
I wonder what a court would say if I simply killed them and said: ‘I tried everything else first, including appealing for help. I was left with no alternative….’
I am touched reading of your decades of challenge and disappointment.
I truly hope you’ve sought alternatives to murder. Yet I am convinced that contemplating it has been one of the small reliefs you’ve been able to foster.
And recommend a book to you. The Book of Joy with the Dalai Lama.and Desmond Tutu. They too endured great suffering but have found ways to guide many through these labyrinths of mind into clarity.
Sending blessings to you
I recognize much of what you are saying. Sadists are very difficult enemies, especially since they go in packs.
“Packs” that’s funny. Don’t make us enemies and then there’s no problem.
James you have seen the truth. Be careful(“We have one that can see”)! James, one problem is that people in power know the truth and do nothing. It has not been all that many years since one group(Dr”s) were digging up graves. Those of us old enough can still remember our grandfathers never wanting to see a “dr”. Today. Dr errors and mistakes are the 3rd leading cause of death in the USA(Look it up) and that’s including what they or their medical group does knowingly to protect from med mal. Every person in the USA can kill but we don’t and not because a law says not to. Its just something inside us. Drs and a few other groups are the only ones who think GOD gave them the right. HE didn’t. Those of us who know the truth are hated by them. We are looked at as if we are the ones who are wacko. So sad. Like its said, ($$$$$$ talks. Peace and love to all the hurting as well as those who still have blinders.
it is very surprising to know that people wanting to derive pleasure , by hurting others,sometimes even benign individuals live amongst us.putting up with these everyday sadists is, but a challenging task.understanding such people helps in calming our nerves despite difficulties.
I lived with a narcissist and a sever sadist for over 35 years . One manifestation was dupers delight . She manipulated me and cheated on me constantly . Not satisfied just to cheat she rubbed my nose in it. ” I can do whatever I want and you can’t stop me!” Over a thousand dates with other men . When questioned or challenged she would grin . Years the same grin whenever the lie was being made and pain was inflicted.
Why not break off with that heap of garbage?
I used to have what I thought was a friendship with this woman-I had met her when she and I were children. When I made the unfortunate mistake of seeing her as a friend and confided in her, she made it her mission to constantly rub my nose in it. However, the minute I treated her exactly the same way, suddenly I wasn’t her friend, I was mean, etc. This person to this day, still goes out of her way to make it a point to inflict pain in other people’s lives. She sees nothing wrong with it (I no longer have any contact with her). I did find out however, that her life has taken a turn for the worse (health-related issues). But instead of looking at it as a lesson (treat others the way you want to be treated), she still undoubtedly trash talks people and causes issues for people. Sometimes, people have to lose everything for them to learn the simplest of life’s lessons, if they learn them at all.
I definitely would’ve chosen to help the experimenter kill the bugs, but it for me to justify it to myself there would need to be a legitimate scientific reason to be killing the bugs. I would not have enjoyed crushing the bugs myself. That being said, I have noticed aggressive thoughts before and I think for me it has to do with the internet and tv. Everything is so violent these days. I’m so used to thinking that way, I’ve even caught myself acting upon a “messed up” thought just because I was mad or agitated.
It’s funny how HOLLYWOOD always shows us on a daily basis all the “evil” “psychopaths” like Hannibal Lecter and such, the REAL EVIL are normal people (also responsible for hollywood psycopaths) and their everyday sadistic amusement. I live in Sweden. I think every nasty human being in this country is a sadist garbage person.
I was mystified as to why the U.S. Government and Medical World was making us people with a Severe Chronic Pain sickness suffer for nothing we did or deserve, and our life saving Morphine Medicine lowered to a none working dosage that does NOT work and never will work to ease our Pain, and they just gladly make us suffer daily non-stop Pain. Well- I now know why they do such cruel things
I also regular see the cruelty In fact for over fourty years steming from childhood Thank you for comments
I read the comments and I agree with the most of you guys. Sadism and psychopaths existance is something real and unevitable nowadays.However, it depends on us as ‘safe’ people to enlight the others, at least our children and families, about how sick it is to get into that dangerous zone of psyche. Controlling the net, the media and what we interact with daily is a key element as to protect and eliminate this phenomena. I would focus on the Family as the most important factor that shapes one’s thought and virtue from the early age of his/her cchildhood that develop to become what it is at the adulthood.
Creating a peaceful atmosphere of love and compassion would eradict the sickness in this world of pain .
The trouble is that persons with sadistic personalities do not see that there is anything wrong with them. They are perfectly content to go on as they have and wonder what all the fuss is about. Frequently, their sadistic behaviors the postscript for some act of bullying. An overwhelming desire to dominate others drives them, but mere domination isn’t enough. Sadists go the extra mile to humiliate, harm and sometimes literally to obliterate another human being.
so im at a point in my life im finding that i do enjoy seeing others is pain as also i enjoy inflicting it even more, although it does make me sad to think about it… and i will not cause pain to someone who does not want it, but i cant help to think that i might later in life not care anymore, does anyone have any advice on how to avoid this??
I find this all very sad to read and now wish I hadn’t stumbled across it. The human condition – until we treat each other in a compassionate manner, we will not be able to show respect and compassion to animals. I realise, for some, there is no compassion. We are the only species who inflict pain, knowing it to be pain, making us the lower species morally but intellectually superior?
Hi everyone. I am presently going through the worst heartbreak I’ve ever experienced and so in search of answers I turned to my old and faithful Google (real millennial here)
I dated this psychopath for eight months. I fell in love with his charm and he was someone who I’d always liked from afar. Meeting him in person and getting to know him was truly a pleasure at the beginning. Btw I always ask my men the reason 4 their most recent break up. When i did ask him he told me he wasn’t ready to commit to that particular person so he broke up with her. Moving on, he assured me that I was different and he felt different with me. He had this habit of whispering endearment in my ear in the middle of the night.
Things started to plunge southward when he stopped calling as frequently as usual and he kind of withdrew from me. Tensions started to build up. Next thing, he sat me down (two days after my birthday) and told me he wasn’t ready for a committed relationship. I was hurt!. He gave very scanty and senseless reasons and asked for space to decide whether he wanted to carry on. I did give him the time out. When we spoke again, he sounded like a twisted person. He told me he loved and cared for me but isn’t sure about a commitment. I said either we give it our all or we break up. He promised to give his all. I realized something was wrong. He became more distant.
One day I told him that I’ll leave him bcoz I felt lonely and felt like he could cheat and easily get away with it. Next thing he did was wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me he loved me. Fast forward, ONE WEEK later, I caught him with another woman. This guy sent a long winded text message to me telling me he loved me and was going to miss me but he just wasn’t ready for an “intense” relationship with just a one line apology. Poor me, I begged him to to stay . He said this was a trait and it was inevitable. How he gets scared when things get too serious. That was when I concluded that he is a SADIST. To say I was devastated is an understatement.
Since I needed closure, I called him to come see me and have a talk. He came, we talked, we laughed (I have a great sense of humor). I guess my bravery hurt him
But what baffled me is that the very next day, he insisted on maintaining constant/frequent communication between us. I was so angry. I asked him to stop calling me. He said ok that’s understandable. And then I realized that as a psychopath, he wanted to leave me in pain. Seeing me happy for the last time was not part of his plans. So I played a game on him. I sent him a funny text whilst maintaining my stance on being left alone. His response : LOL. Just LOL. Whereas whenever I tell him how hurt I was, he responded by telling me how much he still loved me and wanted communication but just doesnt want a relationship.
My tears meant nothing, they just fed his ego. my pleas fell on deaf ears, they assured him of how much of a tough guy he is. My pains were ignored as he didn’t want my grief to end. All the while he was enjoying it. Poor me. Then when he noticed I had started healing he tried to ease into my life. Just so he could leave me in pain.
I tried to put things into perspective and I’m no longer hurt. I’ve read all these personality traits of sadists/psychopaths and he fits perfectly. I’m just glad I got out b4 it was too late.
There is no pain like that pain. I’m very sorry that this has happened to you. I hope this doesn’t strike you as unkind, but based on the information provided, your ex sounds more like he has decided hurting you is the price he is willing to pay for keeping you at a distance – but not too distant.
It sounds like We dated the same man..
I have a relative who is a sociopath and a sadist. Since he was little he loved pushing buttons, causing others pain and, even as a five year old would pretend to have empathy then run to his room, close the door and laugh hysterically that he made his family cry.
I largely agree that sadism can be very dangerous. However, I have to say it does not have to be destructive to others and the society. I think we all more or less have the tendency to laugh when our friends just miss the train or something like that. It doesn’t mean we don’t have empathy or we like to actively hurt our friends.
I have concluded that animals derive pleasure from the suffering of other animals because it allows for the primal requirement of killing for food.
Thank you Mr RHYS JAGGAR for your thoughtful wise and kind
advise that is very helpful to me and my Family
RHYS JAGGAR.. You got it right. We’ve been living similar lives.
“…the only thing that matters is not their career, but destroying yours.” So true. Also, it is not important how many friends they have but rather to make sure you have none.
It is most important to stay true to yourself and not let them take what is good in you. Always choose good. To choose an evil “solution” would be to become them.
Be strong.
PETER PLOTTS, I completely agree with you. You described my ex exactly as he is. And now he is sadistic to his own daughter. I wish I could make the judge see that and not to let him use her as a weapon to still affect me.
Not everyone is equal before the law. To some one is allowed what others are punished for. Permissiveness encourages the most vile inclinations in man.
A sadly regrettable state of mind, because it involves the innocent others. Why don’t they inflict such to their kind?
What is wrong with a person that constantly folds clothes towels ect…to look like monsters and leaves laying around..and Denys doing it..trying to get in my brothers head when he knows he has scysofrenia…
Yep, they prey on the weak.
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