Based on the research of Jing Yang, assistant professor at Boston University.
Malevolent Creativity Test (MCBS)
Do you use creative thinking to deceive, trick, or harm others?
Developed by Jing Yang and colleagues in 2016, the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale measures how people use originality, ingenuity, and problem-solving skills to achieve harmful or deceitful ends. Creativity is often viewed as positive, but it can also be channeled toward revenge, manipulation, or bending the rules.
This assessment explores how your imagination operates when facing conflict, frustration, or personal gain. How do you deploy creative thinking when navigating difficult situations? To take the test, enter your input below.
Question 1 of 13
I often play tricks on people as revenge.
| Disagree | Agree |
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In 2016, psychological researchers Ning Hao, Min Tang, Jing Yang, Qinyao Wang, and Mark A. Runco published the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale (MCBS) to investigate a frequently overlooked facet of human ingenuity. While mainstream psychological science has traditionally celebrated creativity as a purely positive force associated with artistic expression, scientific discovery, and constructive problem-solving, cognitive scientists recognize that inventive cognition is fundamentally value-neutral. The authors developed the MCBS to systematically assess how individuals apply divergent thinking, resourcefulness, and original idea generation toward harmful, deceptive, or antagonistic outcomes in everyday situations. By mapping these darker creative expressions, researchers opened new avenues for understanding how intelligence and ingenuity interact with human conflict.
The first core facet assessed by the MCBS is Harming Others, identified in the original research as Hurting People. This dimension focuses on the deliberate generation of novel plans and strategies to retaliate against unfair treatment, punish perceived adversaries, or suppress rivals who obstruct personal goals. Unlike spontaneous physical aggression or impulsive verbal hostility, this facet reflects calculated, imaginative problem-solving where an individual actively devises original methods to undermine, disadvantage, or inflict psychological distress on opponents following interpersonal conflict or perceived injustice.
The second major dimension is Creative Lying. While mundane deceit often relies on simple denials or transparent half-truths, creative lying requires higher cognitive flexibility, narrative ingenuity, and quick mental modeling of social expectations. This facet evaluates how frequently a person invents elaborate excuses to justify questionable actions, devises complex fabrications to bypass challenging dilemmas, or generates believable falsehoods on the fly without feeling anxious about being caught. In this context, lying is an inventive tool used to manipulate social reality.
The third facet, Playing Tricks, assesses a distinct penchant for mischievous schemes, inventive pranks, and subversive tactics. Individuals with elevated tendencies in this area often conceptualize unconventional methods that operate directly on the margins of established rules and social expectations. Whether motivated by retaliatory spite, a desire to outwit an inflexible system, or simple amusement through disruptive humor, this dimension captures the regular habit of employing clever, unorthodox maneuvers when standard or conventional approaches prove unsatisfactory.
Empirical research utilizing the MCBS indicates that malevolent creativity shares meaningful connections with general divergent thinking, lower interpersonal agreeableness, and personality dimensions such as Machiavellianism and narcissism. However, researchers emphasize that generating a malevolent idea does not guarantee that a person will actually act on it, as moral identity, empathy, and executive self-regulation play vital roles in deciding which thoughts are expressed. Understanding this balance helps clarify how creative potential can be redirected toward constructive channels. Please note that the population comparison markers presented on your chart are approximate benchmark estimates derived from published academic samples rather than validated percentiles or standardized clinical norms.
This online assessment is designed exclusively for educational, self-reflective, and informational purposes. It is not intended to serve as a diagnostic instrument, a formal psychological evaluation, or a substitute for professional mental health guidance. This assessment is based directly on the published Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale (MCBS) but operates as an independent educational tool that is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the original researchers or their affiliated academic institutions.
References
- Hao, N., Tang, M., Yang, J., Wang, Q., & Runco, M. A. (2016). A New Tool to Measure Malevolent Creativity: The Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.
Why Use This Test?
1. No cost. The complete assessment is freely accessible, providing full facet scores and insights with no paywalls or fees.
2. Faithful to the source. The test strictly follows the structure and items of the published Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale (MCBS) developed by Hao and colleagues.
3. Insight, not diagnosis. Your results offer an opportunity for personal reflection and self-understanding rather than a clinical evaluation or behavioral diagnosis.