If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet, the chances are good you’ve run into a troll. Not the under-the-bridge kind—these trolls lurk under Instagram stories and Reddit posts, feeding off chaos in your comment section. An internet troll might post “hot takes” about how reading is a waste of time, make up drama about your favorite celebrities, or just insult other users.
But who are these trolls, really? Are they bored teenagers with too much time and a love for chaos—or is there something darker brewing behind those anonymous usernames?
Psychologists like the University of Georgia’s Joshua Miller have been doing the research into narcissistic and aggressive traits, and guess what? Trolling isn’t just an obnoxious hobby. It’s a personality problem.
What is an Internet Troll?
An internet troll is someone who intentionally and aggressively harasses people online with disruptive, offensive, or inflammatory comments. They might:
- derail serious conversations by spewing insults,
- overwhelm movies or products with negative reviews,
- repeatedly deny obvious facts,
- intentionally post wrong answers in Q&A forums,
- or spam comments in live feeds.
If you’ve ever been trolled online, you’re not alone—and you’re not imagining the malice. While trolling might seem like a mostly harmless way for someone to blow off steam, psychological research says otherwise. According to Miller, trolls can often exhibit deeper, darker traits linked to antisocial behavior, aggression, and cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying, a form of online harassment, can have lasting effects on a person’s mental health. Cyberbullies spread insults and threats, as well as targeted campaigns designed to humiliate or intimidate people. The same behaviors that fuel cyberbullies—hate speech, doxxing, misinformation—are frequently present in internet trolls and are linked to specific personality traits.
“Constructs like psychopathy and narcissism and even sadism are pretty regularly linked to online trolling behaviors,” Miller says. “They all share a basic personality trait we call ‘agreeableness versus antagonism.’”
Agreeableness-Antagonism is a personality dimension or scale that measures how people relate and behave within society. People high in agreeableness tend to be more trusting, honest, and empathetic while people who score higher in antagonism score lower. Trolling behavior often reflects low agreeableness and includes behaviors like lying, manipulating, and seeking to harm or provoke others. Agreeableness-Antagonism is also strongly correlated with sadism, which suggests that some disagreeable individuals experience pleasure as a result of causing others pain.
While not illegal, trolling breaks social norms—a digital version of bullying. Social media platforms, with their anonymity and lack of apparent consequences, have become the perfect outlet for this kind of personality to manifest.
Why is the Internet Perfect for Narcissistic Personalities?
Miller notes that many trolls feel powerless or overlooked in their daily lives. Online, however, they find a space where they can exert control, provoke strong reactions, and experience a sense of importance—all through negative interactions.
“The anonymity of social media has made it too easy to scare the pants off people in real ways that society is going to have to try to get a handle on,” Miller says. “It’s too easy for people to throw out misinformation, harassment, and even death threats without any real consequences.”
The ability to hide behind a pseudonym and encrypted networks gives internet trolls the security they need to act out against real people, from bullying your neighbors to insulting or even threatening celebrities and politicians. It’s harder for an internet troll to act out this behavior in the real world, where jailtime or a simple punch in the face might be the consequences.
However, Miller says that many trolls still harbor the same antagonistic traits in the real world as they do online—they’re just more covert about it.
“Trolls who are loud online but passive offline may simply lack the physical or social confidence to express their antagonism face-to-face,” Miller says. “However, research suggests that those who consistently troll others online are often difficult people offline, too. Tailgating people when they’re cut off in traffic. Being harsh to their spouses. Things like that.”
Trolling, in this sense, is an extension of deeper personality issues that show up across different areas of life. While some behaviors stay digital, the underlying traits—low empathy, high defensiveness, and a tendency to blame others—often cross over into the offline world.
And if you asked their friends or spouses, Miller says, many probably wouldn’t be surprised by a narcissism diagnosis. “Yeah, that sounds like Steve,” they might think.
Characteristics of a Narcissist Online and In-Person
Understanding the different dimensions of narcissism as well as their different characteristics can explain some trolling behavior. Miller’s research distinguishes between grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism.
People who are grandiosely narcissistic are outwardly confident, interpersonally dominant, and attention-seeking. People who are vulnerably narcissistic tend to be shy, socially retreating, and interpersonally sensitive while also seeing themselves as not getting the credit, attention, or fair treatment they deserve.
Individuals high on either (or both) dimensions can be reactive to online criticism—but they may respond in different ways. Grandiose narcissists tend to lash out with anger or insults, often defending their inflated self-image and sense of superiority aggressively. Vulnerable narcissists, on the other hand, may feel deep shame or insecurity, even while being equally prone to reactive forms of aggression.
This explains why some trolls seem defensive and emotionally fragile beneath the surface, while others are all bravado and bluster. The internet provides fertile ground for both to engage in behavior that protects or boosts their self-image, whether through self-promotion or tearing others down.
Do You Just Ignore Trolling Behavior?
Trolls might be easy to dismiss as “just jerks,” but the consequences of their behavior can be serious. Beyond spreading negativity online, antagonistic personalities can damage relationships, workplaces and even communities. In some cases, online harassment escalates to threats or worse.
In 2014, a male programmer lashed out at his ex-girlfriend, a prominent video game developer. He posted a false and defamatory article about her which quickly spread out of control. Several 4chan users spread the false information and harassed the developer with doxing and even death threats. This event became known as Gamergate.
Situations like this are why Miller worries that not enough research is being done on understanding and treating these behaviors.
“There’s a lot of research being done to help people with more internalized conditions like anxiety or depression, because it’s easier to be compassionate towards them. It’s harder to extend empathy to people who intentionally harm others,” Miller says. “That moral component makes it so people don’t necessarily want to invest in research like this. But ignoring these traits doesn’t make them go away.”
Treating antagonistic personalities could not only reduce online toxicity but also prevent real-world harm. From aggressive driving to toxic workplaces, the ripple effects of these behaviors are widespread. Investing in solutions, whether therapeutic or policy-based, could save people from serious emotional and psychological harm.
How to Protect Yourself from an Internet Troll
On a more personal level, there are steps you can take to deal with internet trolls. While most trolls aren’t physically dangerous, the psychological toll of their attacks can be very real. Receiving insults, threats, or harassment online can cause stress, anxiety, and fear—even if it’s from a stranger with a fake profile picture and a cartoon username.
The more anonymous and removed the interaction, the more likely someone is to act out. Just like aggressive drivers feel emboldened behind the wheel, trolls feel untouchable behind a keyboard. This is especially true if they’re using fake names, encrypted networks, or burner accounts.
Here are some tips:
- Don’t engage. Trolls feed off attention.
- Block liberally. If they can’t reach you, they can’t hurt you.
- Report when necessary. If you feel your mental or physical health is in danger, it’s best to let a moderator or the authorities know.
- Take breaks from social media when needed.
Understanding the psychological why behind trolling doesn’t mean you have to excuse the behavior. However, it can help you recognize it for what it is: a reflection of someone else’s deeper issues, not your worth.
