Now a study has shown that people who score low on the honesty-humility trait are more likely to be dishonest in a series of lab tests. But almost all the supporting evidence for its inclusion has been based on people doing questionnaires and giving their opinion of how likely they are to behave and think in certain ways. The trait is part of a new six-factor model ( see how you score here). Honesty-humility really captures that Machiavellianness,” she says. “Agreeableness captures people’s patience and forgiveness but not the actively harmful behaviours. “These are people who lack moral character,” says Taya Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.Ĭohen says that “agreeableness” goes some way to measuring these undesirable traits, but only in the way we react to others – not in the behaviours we initiate.

Some psychologists believe that standard personality tests based on the “big five” are failing to identify people who are sly, dishonest and greedy.

It’s known as honesty-humility, but it’s people who are lacking in those two qualities that the measure is designed to pick out. But it turns out that we may have been overlooking a crucial sixth personality trait – and it’s not a pretty one.

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