Super-Men and Wonder-Women: The Relationship between the Acceptance of Trans- and Posthumanistic Self-Enhancement, Personality, and Values

Background and aim. Due to ongoing technological innovations, trans- and posthumanistic self-enhancement strategies are publicly discussed, researched from different perspectives, and part of ethical debates. However, only few studies investigated the acceptance of these strategies and its relationship with personality traits and values. The present study investigated to what extent people accept different enhancement strategies and whether acceptance can be predicted by Big Five and Dark Triad traits, vulnerable narcissism, and values. Methods. In an online survey (N = 450), we measured personality traits and values with German questionnaires. Moreover, participants read scenarios about enhancement strategies and answered questions about their acceptance of these scenarios. Results. Factor analysis indicated a general factor of acceptance across scenarios. Correlation analyses showed that high agreeableness, agreeableness-compassion, conscientiousness, conscientiousness-industriousness, and conservation- and self-transcendence values are related to less acceptance of self-enhancement. Moreover, individuals high on Dark Triad traits, vulnerable narcissism, and self-enhancement values exhibit more acceptance. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that said values and Big Five traits explained unique variance in the acceptance of self-enhancement. Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of considering personality and values when investigating transhumanistic self-enhancement and support policymaking in creating guidelines for enhancement usage.