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Category: Project

Description: Although there has been a growing interest in studying the dark side of personality, a majority of the studies have focused on dark triad traits. However, to understand when people turn to their dark side, we need to know which specific factors trigger dark triad states. Because people the ability to regulate one’s behavior in part relies upon periods of rest and recovery, sleep deficiency might play a crucial role in understanding why dark triad states occur. In the current study, we examine the within-person relationship between sleep quality and quantity and dark triad states using a 10-day ESM design. Additionally, because sleep is hypothesized to restore self-regulatory resources and helps tolerate negative emotional states, we test whether distress tolerance mediates this relationship. Findings revealed that both sleep quality and quantity relate positively to dark triad states, and that distress tolerance mediates this relationship. This indicates that people turn to their dark side more easily when they are sleep deprived, which contributes to our understanding of how we might reduce such dark state expressions in the work context.