This research aimed to investigate the area of the so-called dark triad, in terms of emotional functioning. The current state of knowledge does not determine the existence or nature of the relationship between narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism and empathy and the ability to recognize emotions based on facial expressions. Some researchers suggest a negative correlation between these factors, whereas others note a positive relationship between the two. There are also quite a few studies that do not demonstrate this relationship. To verify the hypotheses, the three psychometric tools were used: the Emotional Intelligence Scale - Faces (SIE-T), the Shortened Empathy Quotient Scale (SSIE) and the Dirty Dozen. The respondents were recruited on social networking sites using the snowball method, thus collecting the results from 148 people - 89 women (Mage = 28.18) and 59 men (Mage = 31.59).