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每当提及什么是成功， 我们总是会想到那些人性冷酷的角色 他们常常在追求名誉和财富的过程中 以践踏他人感受为乐。 When we think of success, we often picture rather brutal characters who will happily trample over others’ feelings in the pursuit of fame and fortune. 比如以下几位： 《广告狂人》中的Don Draper 《华尔街》中的Gordon Gecko 《穿普拉达的女魔头》中的Miranda Priestly 然而，坏人的特点并不止一个。BBC的一项调查发现，心理学家最近找出了最冷酷的人的三个特点： However, there’s more than one way to be bad. As BBC Future explored last year, psychologists have recently identified three traits that might describe the most ruthless people. They are: 马基雅维里主义：操控权术 Machiavellianism: characterized by cynical manipulation 自恋：极度自我中心 Narcissism: how self-centered you are 变态人格：时而冲动、时而麻木 Psychopathy: a combination of risky impulsivity and callousness 这三个“邪恶特质”有时会集中在一个人身上， 这样的人会显得自负、爱算计、不近人情。 Occasionally, all three corners of this “dark triad” converge in a single person, who is vain, scheming, and unfeeling, 但是有时候，某一个特质会表现得比较突出。 but sometimes you can score highly in one characteristic but not the other. 所以想要获得成功， 是否跟你是哪种冷酷的人有关系？ To get ahead, does it matter what ‘type’ of ruthless you are? 此前有证据表明，和普通人相比， “变态人格”的特质在CEO群体中更为普遍。 Previous evidence had suggested that psychopathy is slightly more common among high-flying CEOs than the general population 我们把他们称为：穿西装的蛇 We call them the “snakes in suits”.
却可以一路钻营爬到层； 他们心狠手辣，没血没泪， 但又人见人爱。 他们能爬到高位， 靠的就是上述人格特质。 是不是很熟悉？ 这种人表面上装得像小绵羊，讨人喜欢， 但仔细观察， 就会发现他们不只是阴险毒辣而已， 他们其实是“公司里的吸血鬼” ——反社会人格者。 保罗·巴比亚克、罗伯特·黑尔编写的 《穿西装的蛇》 通过大量引人入胜的案例 将各类反社会人格者的形象 栩栩如生地展现在我们面前， 带领读者剥去反社会人格者的层层外壳， 看清他们的真实本质， 学会如何保护自己和公司 ——在为时太晚之前。 如今，来自瑞士伯尔尼大学的Daniel Spurk想以一个全面的研究来试图解答这些问题，研究调查了来自各行各业的800名德国雇员，比较了他们的这三项特质。 Daniel Spurk at the University of Bern in Switzerland has now attempted to answer these questions with a comprehensive study that compares all three of the traits of 800 German employees from all kinds of industries. 这项在线调查需要被访者为“我毫不自责”或“我喜欢别人关注我”之类的陈述句打分，调查也对他们迄今为止的职业发展进行了测验。 Using an online survey, he asked them to rate statements such as “I lack remorse” or “I like others to pay attention to me” and also quizzed them about their careers to date. 调查发表于《社会心理学和个性科学》期刊上，结果非常惊人。 His results, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, were surprising. Spurk发现尽管之前已有关于“穿西装的蛇”的调查结果，但在他调查样本中，拥有变态人格的人实际上比他衡量成功的标准表现得更糟糕：他们比同辈赚得少，在职业等级制度中处于较低的位置。你可以猜到，他们也对自己的现状不甚满意。 Despite the previous findings on “snakes in suits”, Spurk found that the psychopaths in his sample actually performed worse on his measures of success: they earned less than their peers and tended to have lowlier positions on the career hierarchy. As you might expect, given these findings, they were also less satisfied with their lot. Spurk认为，这可能归结于他们的野心和冒险欲。“变态人格拥有者非常冲动，他们在控制行为方面很有问题。”尽管他们的冒险欲可能在某些行业是件好事，但是长远来看他们的冲动行为会显得缺乏成效，一旦被这种情绪击中就会逃避工作。 Spurk thinks it could be down to their aggression and risk-taking. “Psychopaths are really impulsive – they have real problems with controlling behavior.” Although their willingness to take risks could be a boon in some industries, their impulsiveness may mean that they are less productive in the long run, skiving off work as the mood takes them. Spurk认为决定性的因素可能在于智慧：一个稍微聪明点的人可能会调和一些过激行为，在一个长期范围内赢得局面。 The determining factor, Spurk thinks, may be intelligence: a smarter psychopath might be able to temper some of those excesses, allowing them to win out in the long game. 马基雅维利主义，也叫权术主义。这种个性和成功有着更紧密的联系，那些有控制欲倾向的人更容易获得进入管理层的机会。 Machiavellianism was more strongly associated with success – people with these manipulative tendencies did tend to rise to leadership positions; 即使你不是Don Draper，你也可以意识到有效地利用人际关系可以让你获得权力地位。 you don’t have to be Don Draper to realize that pragmatically pulling other’s levers will put you in a position of power. 但总的来说，自恋的人赚得最多。可能因为自尊心让他们更善于谈判，帮助他们获得更多利益。 But it was the narcissists who earned the most money, overall. This may be because their sense of self-worth makes them better negotiators, helping them to swing more benefits. Spurk表示：“高度自恋的人可以很好地塑造自己的形象，所以他们可以说服自己的同事或上级他们值得获得特殊待遇。”就像Gordon Gecko说的那样：“值得做的事情值得赚钱去做。” “Individuals high in narcissism have good impression management, so they can convince their colleagues or supervisors that they are worth special advantages,” Spurk says. Or as Gordon Gecko put it, there’s the belief that “What's worth doing is worth doing for money.” 但是Spurk表示，在你考虑培养一些邪恶特质来促进你的事业之前，也可能在其他方面遭遇失败。 But before you consider cultivating a darker streak to further your career, Spurk points out that these people may lose out in other ways. 自恋者一开始看上去可能很有魅力，但是因为他们需要持续的关注，所以长远来看会让人感到厌倦。“尽管不熟悉他们的人会觉得他们很有吸引力，但是过一段时间，人们就会不再被他们的举动所吸引。”即使他们可能更会赚钱，他们可能面临社交困局。 Narcissists may seem charismatic to begin with, but they can become wearing with their constant need for attention. “Although people who don’t know them very well think they are charismatic, in the mid-to-long term there might be situations where people are no longer fascinated by their behavior.” So even though they may be earning more money, they might suffer socially. 至于那些操控欲比较强的人，一旦他们的无情或不实诡计被戳穿，他们可能会面临崩溃。 And Machiavellian manipulators may come undone if their particularly ruthless or dishonest machinations are exposed. 如果这些不足以说服你，那么看看这个：有许多证据可以表明虽然善良的品质赚不了什么钱，但是可以让你在其他方面受益。慷慨诚实的人通常比较快乐，甚至身体也更健康。 If that’s not enough to persuade you, there is now an abundance of evidence showing that kindness may not make you money but it pays in other ways: more generous and honest individuals tend to be happier in life, and even have better physical health. 坚毅的野心可以帮你在人生中达到某个程度， 但是光有野心并不能取代真正的智慧。 Steely ambition will help get you so far in life, but it alone can’t take the place real talent. 现实生活中，你可能会碰到像 Gecko、Draper或Priestly这样 拥有极端性格的成功人士， 但更多拥有类似性格的人过得并不好， 他们没有工作， 甚至没有朋友。 For every real-life Gecko, Draper or Priestly you may come across, there will be others lurking in the shadows, without a job – or a friend.
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