Why Are We Smitten by Villains and Antiheroes? A Study of Dark Traits and Fictional Fascination
Monday, December 23, 2024.
You’re watching your favorite series, but instead of rooting for the squeaky-clean hero, you find yourself oddly captivated by the morally ambiguous antihero or even the downright evil villain.
Why? Are you secretly plotting world domination, or is there something deeper at play?
A study published in Psychology of Popular Media dives into this very question, suggesting that people with antagonistic personality traits—think Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism—are more likely to admire and identify with these complex characters.
And before you panic: no, loving Loki doesn’t mean you’re about to go full supervillain.
Heroes, Villains, and Antiheroes: A Personality Mirror?
Fictional characters are the lifeblood of our favorite stories, embodying moral clarity (heroes), moral murkiness (antiheroes), or outright chaos (villains).
Most people see a bit of themselves in their favorite characters, but this study took things a step further by connecting these preferences to darker personality traits. If you’ve ever felt a twinge of admiration for Harley Quinn or found Dolores Umbridge disturbingly fascinating, you might want to read on.
“Fiction is a big part of a lot of people’s lives, and we often feel personally connected to certain characters,” said study author Eliott K. Doyle, a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon. “But what draws people to specific characters—especially the ones with questionable morals? That’s what we set out to explore.”
The Method Behind the Mayhem
Researchers enlisted 473 college students, mostly 19-year-old women from the Pacific Northwest, for a personality survey paired with character ratings. Participants were asked to evaluate their familiarity with, admiration for, and sense of similarity to 25 fictional characters, from Disney’s Mulan to DC Comics’ Harley Quinn to Harry Potter’s infamous Dolores Umbridge.
To dig deeper, they also rated archetypes of heroes, antiheroes, and villains using stripped-down descriptions of their values and motivations. This stripped-away context helped pinpoint whether admiration was about the specific character (Harley’s swagger, anyone?) or the archetype itself.
Who Loves Antiheroes (and Why)?
It turns out people with psychopathic tendencies and everyday sadism (yikes) are particularly drawn to antiheroes.
Why? Antiheroes thrive in moral gray areas, combining virtuous actions with a sprinkle of mayhem.
People high in Machiavellianism and narcissism also vibed with antiheroes, though to a lesser degree. Essentially, antiheroes feel like kindred spirits to those who see themselves as complex, layered, and maybe a touch misunderstood. (Insert brooding antihero music here.)
Villains: Admiration with a Side of Distance
When it comes to villains, the connection is similar but not as strong. While people high in psychopathy and sadism still found villains appealing (chaos loves company), their admiration was tempered. Villains, after all, are often too far gone—less relatable, more cautionary tale. Machiavellians admired their cunning but seemed to draw the line at outright malice. Even antiheroes, it seems, have a stronger fan base.
And What About Heroes?
Here’s where things get interesting.
Heroes, the darlings of virtue, were admired across the board but weren’t relatable to those with darker traits.
Unsurprisingly, people high in Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism felt less connected to do-gooders like Mulan. However, narcissism told a slightly different story: folks with grandiose narcissism admired heroes, likely for their leadership and recognition. After all, who doesn’t want to save the day and get a parade?
Why This Matters (and Why You Shouldn’t Freak Out)
Before you start side-eyeing your Loki-loving friend, study author Doyle offers a reality check: “Someone who likes fictional villains isn’t necessarily high in antagonistic traits, and someone high in antagonistic traits won’t necessarily behave like a fictional villain.”
Fiction allows us to explore different aspects of our personalities, including those we wouldn’t necessarily act on in real life. For some, antiheroes and villains reflect a connection to complexity, rebellion, or marginalization—things that even heroes might lack. In a way, it’s less about moral alignment and more about the shared humanity in these flawed characters.
Where Do We Go from Here?
The researchers see this as just the beginning.
Future studies could examine how personal experiences, such as marginalization, influence character preferences. For instance, antiheroes and villains often represent the underdog or outcast, resonating with those who’ve faced similar struggles.
Another interesting avenue? Flipping the script. What happens when a stereotypical villain does something undeniably good, or a hero does something undeniably bad? These context shifts could reveal even more about how we perceive morality in fictional characters—and maybe even in ourselves.
So, the next time you’re cheering for the antihero or secretly enjoying a villain’s monologue, don’t sweat it. Fiction is a playground for our minds, where we can safely explore sides of ourselves we might never show in real life. And let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want to channel a little Harley Quinn energy on a Monday morning?
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Doyle, E. K., Kay, C. S., & Arrow, H. (2024). Rating heroes, antiheroes, and villains: Machiavellianism, grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism predict admiration for and perceived similarity to morally questionable characters. Psychology of Popular Media.