It's almost a cliché for people to talk about how we've all become narcissists, because social media has turned us into selfie-obsessed image-crafters. This is particularly assumed to be the case for the 'me, me, me' generation: millennials. But are we more narcissistic today, or is this just the age-old scepticism about ‘kids these days' built on stereotypes and misplaced nostalgia?
What is narcissism and is it inherently bad? In May 2021, Ohio State University academics Sophie Kjærvik and Prof Brad Bushman published a review of 437 studies on narcissism, which together included 123,043 participants. In it, they defined narcissism as “entitled self-importance”, explaining that “people with high levels of narcissism think they're special people who deserve special treatment. They have an exaggerated and inflated sense of their own importance”.
In 2014, Bushman cocreated a scale that was surprisingly good at identifying narcissists. It consisted exclusively of a response to the question, To what extent do you agree with this statement: I am a narcissist'. It turns out that lots of narcissists know they're narcissists and some are even quite proud of it.
Since then, Bushman has changed how he talks about narcissism. Something the researchers stress in the 2021 article is that they didn't call anyone a narcissist and instead said that people were either 'high' or 'low' on narcissism.
This story is from the January/February 2022 edition of Very Interesting.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January/February 2022 edition of Very Interesting.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TAKE IT SLOW
Slow running is a fitness trend with some hard and fast science behind it
Physics, AI and music share a common thread. You just have to know where to look
Studying science can lead you in many directions and open doors to unexpected possibilities along the way
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans
Kids are the key to understanding obesity. But we need more of their genes...
We can unravel the role that bodyweight plays in disease, but we need a bigger, more diverse, sample of genetic material to do so
COVID inquiry: What did we learn and what can we do better in future pandemics?
Masks, social distancing, lockdowns... how effective was the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
One hormone could be the key that unlocks a cure for morning sickness
The nausea and vomiting that, in extreme cases, can endanger mothers and babies might soon be just a memory
THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST CREATURES
Under the sea and upon the land, some animals look - to us - pretty strange...
WHEN MIND AND MACHINE COLLIDE
First, Elon Musk wanted to make electric cars ubiquitous, then he wanted to make space exploration a private enterprise. Now, with Neuralink, his newest venture, Musk hopes to merge humans and artificial intelligence. Turns out, it might not be such a crazy idea...
COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
Social anxiety is more than just being shy. It's a phobia born out of our evolutionary past. But that raises a puzzling question: why do so many of us fear human interaction when we're supposed to be the most sociable species on the planet?
SPACE ODDITIES
Take a tour of the weirdest spots in the universe, where the 'normal' rules don't apply. Places that squeeze time, blow bubbles and even rain glass... sideways
