Everyday Sadism

Why People Become Monsters in the Comment Section

Forget the pop-psychology myth that internet trolls are just lonely people who need a hug. The science tells a much darker story. When you communicate through a screen, you strip the human brain of face-to-face feedback and mirror neurons—our natural evolutionary "brake pedal" for cruelty. Without that biological resistance, attacking someone online delivers a cheap hit of dopamine with zero immediate consequences. In the landmark 2014 study "Trolls Just Want to Have Fun" by Buckels, Trapnell, and Paulhus, researchers examined the Dark Tetrad (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Everyday Sadism). The finding? Online trolling correlated highest with pure, unmitigated Everyday Sadism—the genuine derivation of pleasure from inflicting emotional pain on others. The internet didn’t create sadists; it just gave them the ultimate hunting ground. What do you think? Have comment sections made people more cruel over time, or just exposed what was already there? Drop your take below.