Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian political writer at the time of the Renaissance. His book The Prince became notorious for its rather amoral outlook, and his name has therefore entered the language to describe people who plot, plan, calculate, pull tricky manoeuvres and trust no one but themselves.

People who score highly on such a scale usually think of themselves as hard-boiled and realistic. They feel that most other people are just to naïve to live.

Machiavellianism may not be the most attractive personality trait, but it is widely found among people who wheel and deal for a living. A naïve and trusting politician, for example, would not last long. A Machiavellian one might end up as head honcho. See how you measure up on this scale.