By Contributor Phil De Luna Stefano Guidi
TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 11: Fridays for future protesters take part during the Fridays For Future’ … More Climate Protest on October 11, 2024 in Turin, Italy. Fridays for the Future movement is protesting in main squares in urban centers across on world to denounce perceived governments inaction towards climate change. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)
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What if the real obstacle to climate action isn鈥檛 just political polarization, misinformation, or economic inertia鈥攂ut personality?
A recent study from Dalhousie University suggests that personality traits鈥攕pecifically those associated with the so-called 鈥淒ark Triad鈥 of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy鈥攎ay significantly influence whether someone believes climate change is real.
It鈥檚 a striking idea. Not just that our politics shape our perception of science, but that the architecture of our psychology might help determine whether we accept or reject climate change altogether.
The Science Behind Scepticism
The study, led by political scientist Scott Pruysers and published in Climatic Change, surveyed more than 1,700 Canadians and asked them to rank agreement with statements like 鈥淐limate change is a scam鈥 or 鈥淕overnment should do more to address climate change.鈥 Then it compared these answers to participants鈥 self-assessed personality traits鈥攗sing more than 160 descriptors to build out a detailed psychological profile.
The results were sobering: 22% of Canadians surveyed agreed that human-caused climate change is exaggerated, and over 10% disagreed that government should be doing more to address it. Those most skeptical of climate change scored higher on scales associated with narcissism (self-importance), Machiavellianism (manipulativeness), and psychopathy (callousness). In contrast, climate believers were more likely to show traits like honesty, emotionality, openness, and humility.
In other words, it鈥檚 not just what you believe about climate change that matters鈥攊t鈥檚 who you are. People with more empathy believe in climate change; people who lack it, don鈥檛.
Personality vs. Politics: Which Predicts More?
We鈥檙e used to thinking about climate skepticism as a product of ideology, disinformation, or economic interest鈥攁nd those things matter, deeply. The study acknowledges this too. In fact, the biggest single predictor of climate denial wasn鈥檛 personality, but political ideology: those on the right of the spectrum were far more likely to reject climate science than those on the left. Men were more skeptical than women. Education and income also helped shape belief.
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But here鈥檚 the twist: the second strongest predictor of climate skepticism was not age, education, or income. It was openness鈥攁 personality trait associated with curiosity, creativity, and willingness to consider new ideas. That means the shape of your character may be more determinative than your diploma or your paycheck when it comes to how you think about the planet鈥檚 future.
This matters, because climate action is not just a technological problem鈥攊t鈥檚 a human one. As the world races to decarbonize, behavioral change is becoming just as critical as innovation. And if personality plays a role in shaping belief, then it also influences whether people are willing to make sacrifices, adopt greener habits, or vote for climate-forward policies.
We Don鈥檛 Need to Change Minds. We Need to Design Better Systems.
There鈥檚 no vaccine for narcissism. We can鈥檛 legislate openness. You can鈥檛 change people鈥檚 personalities. But we can design systems and messages that meet people where they are.
Advances in artificial intelligence鈥攑articularly in analyzing social media behavior鈥攃ould allow for micro-targeted communications tailored to personality types. That could mean, for example, emphasizing the status signaling of eco-friendly behavior to appeal to narcissists (鈥渄rive this EV to show you鈥檙e ahead of the curve鈥), or using stories of personal harm and community disruption to engage those who may not respond to statistics.
In fact, we already do this鈥攋ust not systematically. Advertisers have long known that emotion and identity sell more than facts. The climate movement, historically grounded in scientific consensus and future-oriented morality, is starting to adopt this logic. Climate-conscious brands now market solar panels and electric cars not just as responsible choices, but as aspirational ones. Policymakers are experimenting with incentives and social norms to drive change.
To be clear: this doesn鈥檛 mean all climate skeptics are sociopaths. The study doesn鈥檛 pathologize individuals鈥攊t works on a spectrum. Most of us have at least a few drops of the Dark Triad in us, just as we all have moments of altruism or doubt. But it does mean that the old model鈥攑resent data, expect belief鈥攊sn鈥檛 enough.
The climate crisis is a test of our technologies, our institutions, and increasingly, our psychologies. If we want to reach the remaining skeptics, we may need to stop preaching and start profiling鈥攏ot to divide, but to understand. The planet doesn鈥檛 care why you act, only that you do. But to get there, we need to understand who doesn鈥檛 care鈥攁nd why.
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