On a scale from 1 to 7, are you a narcissist? If the answer is 6 or 7, you're probably right, according to a recent study.
The study, published in PLOS ONE by Sara Konrath and her colleagues, found that people who think they are narcissists don't think it's a bad thing.
"People who are not narcissists would never say that they are," Konrath said. "Somebody who is a narcissist doesn't think it's all that bad and is maybe even a little proud of it."
She and her colleagues developed the one-question narcissism test, "To what extend do you agree with this statement: 'I am a narcissist?'"
They tested this question on 2,250 participants. And they found that the people who chose a 6 or 7 on that statement scored high for narcissism on the traditional 40-item questionnaire.
Understanding narcissism and its impact on society is important in a society that almost encourages narcissism.
"Overall, narcissism is problematic for both individuals and society," said study co-author Brad Bushman. "Those who think they are already great don't try to improve themselves. And narcissism is bad for society because people who are only thinking of themselves and their own interests are less helpful to others."
At its most severe form, narcissism is a serious psychological disorder. The longer narcissism questionnaires can be helpful for figuring out what kind of narcissism a person has.
"The self-esteem movement, I think is a big part of that," Bushman said. "Also, I think social media provides a venue for people to project themselves to very large audiences."
Narcissists may make good leaders, and their over confidence may help them land jobs or attract other people, but they demonstrate an arrogance and lack of empathy that may not be good for the people around them. They are good, however, at getting what they want since they tend to only look out for themselves.
Previous studies also show that younger people score higher in narcissism than others.
This is helpful for researchers who are pressed for time when designing questionnaires. Rather than asking 40 questions, they can ask one, saving their time and their participants' time.
