A 2017 study in found that cyber-trolls tend to have high levels of psychopathy and sadism in combination with low levels of empathy. They also are more likely to be male, and researchers call the perpetrators master manipulators who enjoy causing emotional pain and distress in others. A further explored the minds of internet trolls and found that narcissism is a common trait. And a focused on Facebook points to what’s known as the Dark Tetrad personality factors (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism) as indicators of greater trolling behavior.