September 24, 2025 Dataset Open Access

The Role of the Dark Personality Factor in Mood Induction Through News Videos

Ellenbürger, Judith; Meincke, Jule; Heitmann, Carolin

Research shows that the dark factor of personality (D) - a general tendency underlying dark traits such as narcissism, sadism and psychopathy - influences morally, ethically and socially questionable thinking and behavior. This study investigated a potential moderating influence of the D-factor on affect in everyday life. We manipulated affect by exposing participants to positive or negative news videos (holiday tips or hunger crisis) and assessed participants’ mood prior and after the video presentation. We determined the D-factor for each participant. The effect of videos on mood was expected to be smaller with increasing D-factor scores, i.e. that negative news would not worsen or even improve mood and positive news would not improve or even worsen mood with a higher D-factor. We analyzed data from 135 participants acquired in an anonymous online study. The mood manipulation was successful in that positive and negative news led to an overall improvement and worsening of mood, respectively. Importantly, the D-factor score had a negative effect on mood change in the negative, but not the positive news condition. These findings suggest that the dark personality factor has a significant influence on the emotional experience induced by negative news. They support the relevance of considering the D-factor in future studies of emotional reactions to external influences.