People who exhibit traits of a particular type of narcissism experience different levels of personal well-being, depending on the cultural values of the society in which they live. While admiration-seeking is consistently associated with greater happiness around the world, more hostile forms of narcissism impose greater psychological strain on individuals living in highly individualistic countries. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Personality.
Psychologists generally view grandiose narcissism as a combination of two different behavioral strategies rather than a single trait. The first strategy is narcissistic praise. This includes a confident approach to enhancing one’s own image, characterized by charm, assertiveness, and the desire to be the center of attention.
The second strategy is narcissistic competitiveness. This acts as a defense mechanism aimed at protecting an exaggerated sense of self. People who score high on narcissistic competition tend to perceive others as threats, act with hostility, are sensitive to criticism, and tend to belittle others.
Previous psychological research has demonstrated that these two aspects have a contradictory relationship with mental health in Western populations. Admiration tends to correlate with high self-esteem and happiness. Competitiveness tends to be correlated with depression and lower life satisfaction.
Researchers Wang Zheng and Zhiyu Liu from East China Normal University wanted to understand whether these psychological patterns hold true across the world. They particularly focused on cultural concepts of individualism and collectivism.
Individualist societies, such as those in North America and Western Europe, prioritize individual autonomy, self-expression, and personal accomplishment. Collectivist societies, common in parts of Asia and South America, place greater emphasis on group cohesion, interpersonal obligations, and social harmony.
The researchers based their hypothesis on a psychological concept known as person-culture fit. This theory suggests that the psychological consequences of personality traits are determined by the extent to which that behavior is consistent with prevailing cultural norms. Traits that fit the culture are socially rewarded, whereas traits that contradict cultural expectations can cause social friction and emotional tension.
To test their idea, the researchers analyzed data from a large study involving 51,070 participants across 57 different societies. Participants were originally surveyed as part of another international collaborative project investigating social attitudes and mental health during recent global events.
In this study, participants rated their agreement with statements designed to measure various aspects of narcissism. To measure narcissistic admiration, they responded to an item regarding their belief that their good contributions deserve attention. To measure narcissistic competitiveness, they answered items regarding their desire for their rivals to fail.
To assess overall happiness, participants rated their life satisfaction and overall happiness on a numerical scale. The researchers then mapped these individual responses onto a national dataset to quantify how individualistic or collectivistic each society was. They used two different cultural indicators to ensure that their results were mathematically robust.
The researchers relied on statistical models to account for the hierarchical nature of the data. They controlled for individual factors that could skew the results, such as age, gender, subjective social status, and whether participants lived in an urban or rural area. We also controlled for country differences in economic development and wealth inequality.
Zheng and Liu found that narcissistic admiration was positively related to happiness in all 57 societies. This positive association did not vary based on cultural background. Confident admiration seekers reported higher levels of happiness, regardless of where they lived.
The universal nature of this positive association suggests that seeking competence, approval, and self-enhancement may satisfy basic psychological needs. Researchers suggest that the pursuit of admiration functions as a social adjustment strategy that helps people find meaning and build self-worth in any cultural setting.
In contrast, researchers found that narcissistic competitiveness was negatively related to happiness. People who take an adversarial approach to protect their ego generally report lower life satisfaction and happiness globally.
The strength of this negative association varied depending on cultural context. In highly individualistic societies, the psychological costs of narcissistic competition have increased. Individuals in these cultures who exhibited active self-protection reported lower levels of well-being compared to similar individuals in other countries.
Researchers theorize that individualistic cultures value cooperative independence and mutual respect. When individuals in these societies behave in a hostile manner and disrespect the worth of others, they are likely to experience increased interpersonal friction and social rejection, ultimately harming their mental health.
In more collectivistic societies, the negative association between narcissistic competitiveness and happiness was much weaker. Researchers suggest that these local cultural norms may provide a structural buffer that protects narcissistic individuals from spiraling into distress.
Collectivistic cultures often limit the outward expression of socially destructive behavior. Society’s emphasis on family relationships and indirect communication may force individuals to deal with conflict more quietly. This regulation may prevent interpersonal conflicts from escalating and irreversibly damaging an individual’s mental well-being.
The findings of this study provide practical insights for mental health professionals and organizational leaders working in multicultural environments. This result suggests that professionals need to assess the broader social context when assessing narcissistic behavior.
Not all forms of narcissism carry exactly the same risks. Experts may avoid pathologizing basic self-confidence, as the urge for admiration may support emotional resilience and global ambition. Conversely, close attention may need to be paid to adversarial behavior, which poses unique risks in cultures of high independence.
This study has several limitations that pave the way for future research. The study’s cross-sectional design means that the researchers measured all variables at a single time point. This makes it impossible to determine whether narcissistic traits directly cause subsequent changes in individual well-being.
Additionally, this study only measured happiness using two general descriptors: life satisfaction and happiness. Future analyzes could incorporate broader mental health indicators, such as detailed measures of local sense of purpose and psychological flourishing.
The researchers also noted that they assigned a culture score based on the country a person lived in. National averages may not accurately capture individual participants’ personal alignment with societal expectations or the specific values of their communities.
This analysis focused only on grandiose narcissism. It remains unclear how cultural differences affect people with vulnerable narcissism. This alternative subtype is characterized by quiet self-doubt, emotional instability, and deep-seated anxiety, and may interact very differently with society’s expectations.
The study, “Narcissistic Admiration, Rivalry, and Happiness: A Multilevel Study Across 57 Societies,” was authored by Wang Zheng and Zhiyu Liu.
