Participants with higher levels of dark tetrad traits, such as psychopathy and sadism, report more dreams centered around aggression, sexuality, and grandiosity, according to a recent study.

The study evaluated the association between dark tetrad traits—psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism—and dream content, examining correlations with themes of aggression, sexuality, and grandiosity. Researchers analyzed data from 137 participants, who completed questionnaires on their levels of dark tetrad traits and dream content. Findings, published in Dreaming, are in line with the continuity hypothesis, suggesting a relationship between waking personality traits and dream scenarios.

Regression analyses revealed specific associations: psychopathy (β = 0.23, p = 0.04) and gender (β = -0.17, p = 0.04) significantly predicted fighting dreams. Sadism was notably associated with both sexual (β = 0.24, p = 0.03) and grandiosity (β = 0.36, p < 0.01) dream themes, indicating possible links between sadistic traits and themes of dominance and self-importance.

These findings contribute to evidence that certain personality traits can influence emotional and thematic dream content. Researchers suggest further studies to explore sadism's link with grandiosity in dreams, noting that larger, more diverse samples and longitudinal designs could provide additional insights.

Full disclosures are available in the published study.