Gold digging, long dismissed as a sexist stereotype, may in fact reflect a distinct social strategy linked to dark personality traits, according to new psychological research. The study suggests that some individuals intentionally prioritize financial rewards over emotional closeness, and that this pattern appears in both men and women.
The research, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, was conducted by psychologists Lennart Freyth and Peter K. Jonason. Their findings indicate that highly materialistic dating behavior is not merely about preferring wealthy partners, but may involve consciously exploiting relationships for access to resources and status.
How Researchers Measured Gold Digging
Freyth and Jonason recruited 351 participants through an online German university course. After excluding incomplete or low-effort responses, the final sample included 105 men and 236 women. Participants were, on average, around 30 years old, offering insight into dating behavior among younger adults.
Rather than directly asking participants whether they considered themselves gold diggers, the researchers used a decision-based online survey. Participants repeatedly chose between hypothetical romantic partners who either provided strong emotional support or clear material advantages. This approach allowed researchers to examine whether individuals were willing to sacrifice intimacy and emotional connection for financial or status-related benefits.
The researchers also assessed the so-called Dark Tetrad personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. Participants additionally reported demographic information including political orientation, student status, hometown size, and self-perceived mate value — meaning how attractive and desirable they believed themselves to be within the broader partner selection context.
Psychopathy Stands Out In The Data
The analysis revealed that women scored higher than men on the gold digging scale, although the behavior was present in both sexes and followed a similar psychological pattern overall. Most notably, gold digging showed a particularly strong association with psychopathy, a trait characterized by callousness, impulsivity, and reduced empathy.
Freyth noted that individuals scoring high in gold digging did more than simply prefer affluent partners. They appeared willing to sacrifice qualities associated with emotionally supportive and satisfying relationships if it meant gaining access to money, status, or other tangible advantages. This finding supports the interpretation of gold digging as resource-driven relationship behavior rather than a simple preference for financial security.
The results also aligned with a broader concept in evolutionary psychology known as a fast life history strategy. Individuals who adopt this orientation tend to prioritize short-term rewards and immediate gains — including in romantic relationships — instead of investing heavily in stable, long-term partnerships built on mutual benefit.
Demographics And Political Leanings
The study also identified several contextual factors associated with higher gold digging scores. Living in large cities, being a student, identifying as non-heterosexual, and rating oneself highly in mate value were all linked to stronger exploitative dating tendencies among both men and women.
One subgroup in particular — right-leaning female students — showed elevated levels of gold digging behavior. The researchers suggest this could partly relate to being in a reproductive life stage where mate selection may carry greater perceived importance, combined with evidence that economically conservative individuals may place stronger emphasis on industriousness and financial stability.
Another notable pattern emerged among left-leaning men. This group reported the highest levels of self-perceived mate value, yet did not score especially high on gold digging. The authors speculate that some men in this category may instead rely on a performatively empathetic or emotionally vulnerable persona to attract partners — a different mating tactic that may still serve strategic interpersonal goals.
Gold Digging As A Human, Not Female, Behavior
Despite women showing somewhat higher average scores overall, the researchers caution against framing gold digging as an exclusively female behavior. When situational and demographic factors were considered, exploitative dating tendencies increased in both sexes under comparable conditions.
The findings support the idea that gold digging may be better understood as a broader human sexual strategy that can emerge in both men and women, rather than as a gender-specific phenomenon. At the same time, the researchers observed that female gold diggers were also more likely to display sadistic traits, suggesting a greater tendency to derive enjoyment from others’ suffering.
Freyth described some of the observed associations — particularly the strong link between gold digging and psychopathy — as unusually robust for psychological research. The consistency of the findings suggests that individuals willing to exploit romantic partners for resources may often possess markedly emotionally detached interpersonal tendencies.
Limitations And Future Research
The study has several important limitations. The sample was relatively young, heavily student-based, and leaned politically left, meaning the findings may not fully generalize to broader populations. Cultural factors specific to German-speaking countries may also influence how participants view money, dating, and relationship expectations.
In addition, the research used a cross-sectional design, meaning personality traits and dating tendencies were measured at a single point in time. As a result, the study cannot establish cause and effect. It remains unclear whether dark personality traits increase exploitative dating behavior, or whether repeated exploitative relationship experiences reinforce those traits over time.
Freyth plans to continue this line of research by integrating evolutionary and theoretical models of social decision-making. One goal is to more clearly distinguish between adaptive preferences for financially stable partners and potentially maladaptive or exploitative strategies such as gold digging.
Future studies may incorporate experimental methods, cross-cultural comparisons, and investigations into how these strategies influence long-term well-being, relationship stability, and broader social trust. The researchers hope that studying more diverse populations will help clarify when strategic mate selection crosses the line into harmful interpersonal exploitation.
