ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
Dark triad personality traits and online impulsive buying: the mediating role of social media addiction.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Objective: The rapid growth of e-commerce has made online impulsive buying (OIB) an increasingly significant consumer behavior. However, the psychological processes underlying this behavior-particularly the role of individual differences-remain inadequately explained. This study adopts the Latent State-Trait (LST) approach as an interpretive conceptual framework to examine the relationships among the Dark Triad personality traits (DTP) (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy), social media addiction (SMA), and online impulsive buying. Method: Cross-sectional research data were collected from 413 participants using validated scales measuring the Dark Triad personality traits, social media addiction and online impulsive buying behavior. The proposed research model was tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM); indirect effects were examined using bootstrap confidence intervals. Findings: All three dimensions of the Dark Triad personality traits were positively associated with social media addiction (β = 0.24-0.32), and social media addiction was positively associated with online impulsive buying behavior (β = 0.61). Furthermore, social media addiction exhibited significant indirect effects on the relationships between narcissism (β = 0.194, 95% CI [0.138, 0.261]), Machiavellianism (β = 0.183, 95% CI [0.127, 0.245]), and psychopathy (β = 0.217, 95% CI [0.154, 0.286]) and online impulsive buying, as none of the bootstrap 95% confidence intervals included zero. Conclusion: The findings are consistent with the proposed trait-state-behavior framework and suggest that social media addiction is significantly associated with the relationship between Dark Triad personality traits and online impulsive buying. As the study is based on cross-sectional data, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of temporal or causal relationships. By adopting the LST perspective as a conceptual framework, this study contributes to a broader understanding of the relationships among personality traits, social media addiction, and online impulsive buying.
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