Attitudes Outweigh Personality Traits in Driving Deepfake Pornography Creation, New Study Finds
The alarming surge in deepfake pornography over recent years has sparked considerable concern across psychological, legal, and technological fields. Cutting-edge research emerging from Edith Cowan University (ECU) sheds new light on the psychological mechanisms underpinning this troubling phenomenon. Contrary to prior assumptions that certain dark personality traits might predict a person’s likelihood to create sexually explicit deepfake images, the latest findings reveal that individuals’ attitudes—especially those that excuse or minimize harmful behavior—play a more critical role.
Deepfake pornography, involving the seamless digital manipulation of images or videos to place individuals into sexual scenarios without their consent, has profound and devastating impacts on victims. These include severe emotional distress, irreparable damage to personal and professional reputations, and grievous breaches of privacy. The rise of such content is staggering: industry reports document an explosive 464 percent increase from 2022 to 2023 alone, with an overwhelming 99 percent of these deepfake videos targeting women, highlighting a disturbing gendered dimension to this abuse.
Led by Master of Clinical Psychology student Lorna Marns and overseen by Dr. Ross Hollett—an esteemed psychology researcher at ECU—the study involved surveying 213 heterosexual men through an anonymous online questionnaire. The research meticulously examined the interplay between participants’ personality traits, their attitudes toward sexual assault and harmful behavior, and their self-reported willingness to create sexually explicit deepfake pornographic content under various hypothetical scenarios.
Surprisingly, the analysis revealed no significant correlation between dark personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, or Machiavellianism, commonly found in what is termed the “Dark Triad,” and the propensity to produce deepfake pornography. Instead, what emerged as the most potent predictor was the extent to which an individual minimized or excused sexual harm, reflecting attitudinal justifications that reduce personal accountability and ethical concern.
Moreover, the research uncovered an intriguing social dimension influencing willingness to create deepfake materials. Participants indicated a marked increase in their reported likelihood to fabricate deepfake pornography involving celebrities compared to individuals they personally knew. This suggests that social distance, or detachment from the subject, potentially lowers perceived harm and the anticipated real-world consequences of such acts, enabling perpetrators to psychologically rationalize or trivialize their behavior.
Dr. Hollett emphasized the transformative potential of these findings, stating that attitudes are more malleable than ingrained personality traits and, therefore, more amenable to change through educational and preventative strategies. This psychological insight points towards a critical avenue for intervention: broad public awareness campaigns that address and challenge harmful attitudes and myths surrounding consent, sexual assault, and digital abuse could substantially curb deepfake pornography creation.
A particularly salient facet highlighted by the researchers concerns the distinction between intimate and non-intimate imagery. While prior investigations have focused on the exchange or sharing of intimate images within personal networks, this new study calls attention to the broader digital ecosystem where non-intimate photos—often readily accessible online—can be weaponized to generate deepfake content distributed far beyond private circles. This underscores the pressing need to deepen our understanding of the diverse motivations fueling the creation and dissemination of such harmful material.
Technologically, deepfakes capitalize on advances in artificial intelligence, notably generative adversarial networks (GANs), which automate the sophisticated crafting of realistic synthetic media. While these tools herald significant scientific progress, their dual-use nature poses perilous ethical dilemmas. When exploited for non-consensual pornography, the consequences ripple beyond immediate victims, undermining societal norms related to privacy, trust, and respect.
The research paper, titled “Exploring a potential link between personality traits, sexual assault attitudes and the propensity to create deepfake pornography,” was published in the prestigious Journal of Sexual Aggression. It represents a pioneering effort to elucidate the complex psychological landscape behind deepfake production and provides empirical evidence that could fundamentally alter approaches to combatting digital sexual exploitation.
These findings reinforce the imperative for interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating psychology, cybersecurity, law enforcement, and public policy to formulate robust, multifaceted responses. Ultimately, understanding the cognitive and attitudinal precursors to harmful digital content creation is paramount to designing effective prevention and intervention frameworks.
The study’s authors call for expanded research to further dissect motivational factors and the behavioral economics driving deepfake creation and sharing behaviors in varied contexts, including cross-cultural analyses and the impact of online anonymity. Such inquiry will be crucial for refining educational initiatives and legal provisions aimed at safeguarding individuals’ digital rights and personhood in an era increasingly shaped by synthetic media.
This pioneering investigation offers renewed hope by demonstrating that shifting social attitudes—not immutable personality factors—may hold the key to mitigating the proliferation of deepfake pornography, potentially leading to safer online environments and greater protection for vulnerable populations.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Exploring a potential link between personality traits, sexual assault attitudes and the propensity to create deepfake pornography
News Publication Date: 23 June 2026
Web References: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13552600.2026.2678434#abstract
References: Journal of Sexual Aggression, DOI 10.1080/13552600.2026.2678434
Keywords: Deepfake pornography, attitudes, personality traits, sexual assault attitudes, psychological predictors, digital abuse, synthetic media, emotional harm, social distance, public awareness
