HEXACO, Dark Triad and altruism in daily life

The Big-Five personality traits contribute to altruistic behaviors in daily life; the degree to which each trait contributes varies according to the recipient. Similarly, factors of the HEXACO model are also expected to contribute to altruistic behaviors according to the relationship between the parties involved. Furthermore, the Dark Triad is another important model of personality structure that may influence altruistic behavior. This pre-registered study investigated the relationship between the traits of the HEXACO and Dark Triad personality models and the frequency of altruistic behaviors measured by the SRAS-DR. Extraversion contributed to altruistic behaviors toward all three types of recipients (family, friends/acquaintances, strangers). Agreeableness contributed only to altruistic behaviors toward strangers, while openness to experience significantly contributed to altruism toward friends/acquaintances and strangers. Previous reports that extraversion and openness from the five-factor model contribute to altruism toward strangers were replicated for a broader range of participants using HEXACO traits for extraversion and openness. Our results suggest that the primary factor explaining individual differences in altruistic behaviors toward strangers is the tendency to be actively involved in the external world, reflected in a person's sociability and inquisitiveness, rather than empathy or the tendency to be fair. •We examined the relationship between the HEXACO and Dark Triad traits and altruism.•Honesty-humility, emotionality and DT did not contribute to any types of altruism.•Extraversion commonly contributed to all the types of altruism.•Agreeableness contributed to altruism only toward strangers.•Openness contributed to altruism toward friends/acquaintances and strangers.