The dark side of touch: how attachment style impacts touch through dark triad personality traits

Abstract Emerging research highlights that while intimate touch is often associated with relational well-being, individual differences exist in the extent to which it is experienced as aversive or used for coercive purposes. Dark triad personality traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) may contribute to these variations in touch experiences and behaviors, yet their role remains underexplored. In a sample of college students in romantic relationships ( N = 526), we examined dark triad traits as predictors of touch aversion and coercive touch and tested whether attachment insecurities serve as upstream influences on these effects. Results demonstrated that an antagonistic interpersonal style, represented by the shared variance among dark triad traits, was associated with greater touch aversion and coercive touch. Additionally, avoidant and anxious attachment orientations indirectly predicted both touch outcomes through dark triad traits. Several gender differences emerged, with dark triad traits fully mediating the effects of attachment insecurity on touch outcomes for women, whereas attachment orientations exerted direct effects for men. These findings extend theoretical models of intimate touch by identifying dark triad traits as key contributors to touch aversion and coercion while situating them within a broader attachment framework.