Men are More Narcissistic than Women, Psychologists Say

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With 31 years of data from more than 475,000 participants, a new study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin supports the widely held belief that men are more narcissistic than women.

31 years of data? 475,000 participants? You have my attention! Whatever preconceived notion you may hold about how a man or women view themselves may be challenged. Lets see where this is going.

“Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression,” said Dr Emily Grijalva of the University at Buffalo, the first author on the study.

C'mon now, I thought the first step to loving others is to love thyself. A little narcissism isn't a bad thing, right? Do you have a private selfie collection that you frequently update? Are you always trying to top a story you heard with one of your own?

Dr Grijalva and her colleagues examined more than 355 journal articles, dissertations, manuscripts and technical manuals, and studied gender differences in the three aspects of narcissism: leadership/authority, grandiose/exhibitionism and entitlement.

Here are a few points...

- Men are more likely than women to exploit others and feel entitled to certain privileges

- Men exhibit more assertiveness and desire for power

- Both genders are equally likely to display vanity or self-absorption

The scientists have shown that personality differences, like narcissism, can arise from gender stereotypes and expectations that have been ingrained over time.

This is where I begin to question the study. If they hadn't of pointed that out themselves, I might have questioned their integrity. The youth of today are being manipulated into following what they believe to be their own path, but is little more than some preconceived one way street paved with stereotypes.


Are narcissistic tendencies linked to a specific gender? Or is narcissism strictly a product of ones social interactions and environment regardless of gender? Any thoughts?

Just one thought...would the results be different if this study was done by a man ?

a reply to: eisegesis

I'm dubious, because there's 31 years of data and things have changed DRAMATICALLY over just the last decade. In fact, the selfie is such a new and modern phenomena such a long period of data gathering can't really provide an accurate picture given these massive changes so recently.

I would pay more attention to a larger survey of a similar number of people but within the last decade, to really get an accurate perception of what modern attitudes and opinions are since the explosion of the selfie.

Why did you post this thread for me? I already know women are far more self involved than men ... being a man myself, the best one I've met, btw, I know most of us are benevolent and focused like a laser on helping others... while women simply primp and preen in the vain hope of being noticed by me...

Silly thread. I'm off to do important stuff, now...

(I'd add a smiley face to let people know I'm being dry and funny, but wrote this instead)

a reply to: Baddogma

I would have read your post, but I was too busy rereading my own thread. If your comment was about me or my thread, I might have taken notice.



I'm not sure why no one is responding to my thread when it's clearly the best one available at the moment.

a reply to: eisegesis
An interesting read, thank you.

Narcissus was famous for falling in love with his own image, ignoring the love of Echo. This very activity perfectly describes the human tendency to separate from others, to not assume relationship, to be obsessed with self.

We clearly live in a vast unlimited field of relatedness and yet we assume we are separate from everything. Who is really sensitive to the indivisible reality in which we all arise, and on that basis recognize the human pattern to only meditate on oneself rather than feeling into our inherent relatedness?

If anyone questions whether they are obsessed with themselves or not, put aside a half an hour and simply feel to infinity, the vast field of relatedness we appear in. Can you actually do this for any real length of time without getting obsessed with the train of endless thinking and self-meditation?

So whether men or women are determined to fit the current definition of narcissism more, it still comes down to each of us recognizing that we do this separative narcissistic activity - moment to moment! Once this is noticed, we can begin to see that there is the reality in which all arises and we are unified inherently with. The deeper and more consistently we recognize this, the more the force of relationship moves us beyond ourselves into the sheer pleasure of existence.

I don't believe this study. How can it possibly be accurate. They never once interviewed me or asked for my opinion!!!!!

a reply to: eisegesis



Women tend to be very giving...it only goes that men will be a bit narcissistic.

Often in these "Men are X" and "Women are X" articles, I feel that the basic concept of yin and yang is forgotten. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, and where there's a weakness, the counterpart levels it out with their strength.

I repeat, where there's a weakness, the counterpart levels it out with their strength.

A thread recently talked about a radical feminist who aborted a child because it was a boy, saying that no matter the wonderful job she'd do of molding the boy to become the ideal man, society would tear her work apart.

Man bashing in general is all the rage.

Honestly, women still get the short end of the stick in a myriad of areas. Wages, first and foremost.

This is not a debate that can be had taking bias from one side or the other. It must be tackled from the standpoint of the fact that we are meant to compliment one another. Synergy, one might say.



-NF- < ===Male

Men are not more narcissistic than women.

Narcissism is a fault, and men don't have any.

(Where's that mirror?)

Interesting article.

a reply to: nullafides

Often in these "Men are X" and "Women are X" articles, I feel that the basic concept of yin and yang is forgotten. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, and where there's a weakness, the counterpart levels it out with their strength.

While that sounds good on paper, one cannot rely on another to be strong where they are weak.

My argument is that the media and social environments play such a huge role in defining stereotypes that people have lost the ability to think for themselves. You are more likely to "subscribe" to a preconceived train of thought rather than forge your own.

This opinion leads me to believe that it's not based on gender, but rather the "role" or "environment" of what we feel we're given or cope with.

Would it be narcissistic of me to blame any narcissism I may exhibit on what I think causes narcissism?

a reply to: eisegesis

Well bend me over and call me Sally - who wooda thunk.

Although........I am still looking for the mens cosmetics counter in any department store and even if I ask for gold leaf through my hair, it still would cost me less than $50 to get it cut.



Now bask in your wrongness and go cook me some eggs gearl.

Yes, we are being force fed prepackaged ideas of what being of a certain gender means.

And in my humble opinion, it is stirring the pot, and not doing a damned bit of good.

There is a reason why males are typically different from females, and vice versa. We are meant to compliment each other.

Current society/culture/media is trying to convince women that they don't need men. Hell, thanks to stem cell research, there could be a day soon where men simply are not even needed in the equation of procreation.

Narcissism is a necessary evil to boost the ego, regardless of gender. Boosted ego means boosted confidence. Boosted confidence means the person is more likely to go out and produce. This is a stereotypical standard of being a male, a producer, a provider.

My father, who was in sales and rather good at it, wore a 70's gold ID bracelet that said "Damn I'm Good". Narcissism. Ego Booster. He was one hell of a provider.

I could have loosely agreed with this premise, but then I accidentally flicked on the Real Housewives of wherever series....

And by the way...


For any one male I've ever known that was narcissistic in the aspect of being concerned over their looks....

I can point to twenty or more women who leave that one man in the dust.

originally posted by: eisegesis

- Men are more likely than women to exploit others and feel entitled to certain privileges

- Men exhibit more assertiveness and desire for power

I would say that this study shows nothing new except for another attempt at man bashing. These two "points" above are typical male traits as they are essential to man in order to provide and protect. Men are natural providers and protectors.
How many times do we have to take a beating over it?

This required a study? I hope it wasn't tax funded.

Narcissism is the product of self esteem and imbalance. Why this is a gender thing is full of #. Has nothing to do with one counter part more narcissistic then the other..

Society, bad choices, toxic habits, unhealthy relationships and so on .. are the result of self esteem, self doubt, confusion, and other unbalanced states.

They lead to one needing ego to blanket such feelings and poor perception of self. So they do the opposite, and pretend they are amazed with their self to avoid confronting internal flaws.

When such a person is confronted with said flaws, they lose control; get angry, flee, start arguments, dodge attention and pin someone non related down.. weird #

Humans have this bad cycle of ignoring flaws and mistakes, by trying to put themselves above others or behave as if one is (insert egotistical adjective) over others.

Men and woman are narcissistic. Why is it a battle which gender is more so? Lol.. almost makes me laugh.

It's a mental/internal thing, not a biological thing

a reply to: eisegesis

This study seems to be loaded for the gunning down of men.
I would need to ask the gender and persuasion of the individuals involved. So many women with a little power and position are out to de-nut men these days it is amazing. They want the other gals for themselves, I reckon.

I do believe that the sexes are fairly equal in the way they exhibit their gender-based self-centeredness,
but since women pay far more attention to their looks than most men ever do, they win the contest on that score alone because that is about as personal to yourself as you can get.

a reply to: Elementalist

Nice post.

It started when humans began thinking they were something more than animals.

Nature just became a mirror to our own ignorance.

We love to decorate ourselves in it.

In my opinion, everyone, even among genders is so varied. Traits are just that, traits and do not determine the likability of that person. We need a study on why being narcissistic is actually good.