Citation

Bianchi R, Patthey N, Mirkovic D, Lemaitre B, Schlegel K. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2020; 158: e109867.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2020.109867

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research on the link between Machiavellianism and depression has yielded equivocal results. In this study, we examined the possible moderating role of ability emotional intelligence (a-EI) on the Machiavellianism-depression relationship. a-EI was approached as a factor influencing the effectiveness of Machiavellians' manipulative strategies. A total of 469 participants were recruited (34% male; mean age: 42.37). Machiavellian dispositions were assessed with the Machiavellianism subscale of the Dirty Dozen. a-EI was measured with the 10-scenario version of the Geneva EMOtion Knowledge-Blends--a performance-based test. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the PHQ-9, a scale covering both cognitive-affective and somatic aspects of depression. Correlational analyses revealed no raw association between Machiavellianism, a-EI, and depression. In men, a-EI was found to moderate the effect of Machiavellianism on depression in such a way that Machiavellianism was protective against depressive symptoms when coupled with high a-EI. Component-level analyses indicated that the observed interaction was essentially underpinned by somatic depression. Machiavellianism predicted somatic depression negatively in males with high a-EI and positively in males with low a-EI. No association was identified in females. This study suggests that Machiavellianism is not depressogenic in itself. Remarkably, Machiavellianism might have antidepressant virtues in men exhibiting high a-EI.

Language: en

Keywords

Confirmatory factor analysis; Depression; Dirty Dozen; Emotional intelligence; Health; Machiavellianism; Moderation analysis; Personality