Abstract:
Pupillometry is a widely utilized measure of subconscious mental states and processes, which has thus far not included the study of individual differences which may influence emotional responsiveness. The present study aimed to undertake a in-depth investigation into whether pupillary activity is associated with Dark Triad personality traits and empathy. Simultaneously, we endeavoured to assess the influence of valence and arousal of pictorial stimuli on emotional responsiveness. We determined that a higher level of the Fantasy subscale of empathy was associated with pupil dilation to images classified as being ‘negative high arousal’, whilst we also successfully disentangled the relationship between the three Dark Triad traits and empathy. Moreover, the present study established a sexual dichotomy in the manifestation of empathy, psychopathy and Machiavellianism. In particular, we demonstrated that women displayed higher levels of empathy than men, in addition to lower levels of psychopathy and Machiavellianism than their male counterparts. We argue that an individual who perceives an object’s emotional state also encounters similar autonomic responses to those of the object, acknowledging the power of empathy. Future research should aim to further delve into the relationship between empathy and negatively emotionally charged material, as we predict that an aversive reaction to negative, highly arousing stimuli in those with higher levels of empathy could be due to a heightened sensitivity to emotional material.