Do You Have “Narcissist” Written All Over You? – How To Read The Body Language Of A Narcissist
Jenny Galvao
Can we spot a narcissist?
Based on research led by Simine Vazire of Washington University and associates, individuals can very easily identify narcissist based solely on their appearances. By using the results of their research it’s not difficult to pick out the usual constellation of physical features of a narcissist.
According to the research narcissists have a particular way about them; they often dress to be the centre of attention, they wearing eye-catching and expensive clothing, and having an appearance that most would agree requires a lot of preparation. For women, two additional tell-tale signs of being a narcissist includes excessive makeup and showing ample cleavage. Personality wise, narcissists are usually seen as highly extroverted, highly agreeable, but low on self-esteem.
Vazire explains that “these values [vanity, exhibitionism, and status-seeking] are reflected in narcissists’ physical appearance—in the clothes they wear, the effort they put into their appearance, and their less inhibited display of their bodies. These results provide important, real-world evidence for prominent theories of narcissism.”
In their experiment, participants were instructed to complete personality tests. Next, observers rated the perceived narcissism of the individuals. Importantly, the rating was based purely on the photographs of the targets rather than their personality questionnaire results.
Results showed that observers were able to produce accurate snap judgments of the level of narcissism an individual displayed, as well as certain other personality traits.
The results highlight that it is extremely simple to pick out the narcissist from a crowd by nothing more than their outer appearance. This may be because most of what a narcissist is all about is skin deep. The researchers also point out that we can make these quick and accurate judgments with only a small amount of visual information.
Also, it was found that the observer ratings were related to self-admiration/self-absorption, which we associate with vanity. These ratings were also related to entitlement/exploitativeness, as well as leadership/authority, which are other facets of narcissism.
Narcissists are successful in their attempts to stand out from a crowd, and they are often easy to notice. As this is one of their primary goals, this suits the narcissist just fine. Narcissists have many stereotypical traits, and they are in many cases plan to see. To spot a narcissist, look for a carefully polished appearance. In women look for fully done makeup and ample cleavage, and in men and women look for expensive and/or flashy clothing, and an overall appearance that clearly requires time and effort.
In reading body language of other people sometimes things are exactly as they appear, and in reading narcissism, this is no exception.
About the Author: Jenny Galvao is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph studying psychology.
Image Credit: Earls37a
Resources
Vazire, Simine; Laura P. Naumann; Peter J. Rentfrow and Samuel D. Gosling. Portrait of a Narcissist: Manifestations of Narcissism in Physical Appearance. Journal of Research in Personality. 2008. 42: 1439-1447.