Narcissism predicts heightened cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor in men

Edelstein, Robin S.; Yim, Ilona S.; Quas, Jodi A.

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2010.06.008

Cited by 59 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Although some of these might appear mundane to people low in narcissism, narcissists are highly defensive and thus may be more sensitive to such potential stressors [52]. In the single study that directly examined the relationship between narcissism and cortisol, there was no correlation between narcissism and baseline cortisol concentrations [48]. However, null results are difficult to interpret.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol

et al. 2012

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BackgroundNarcissism is characterized by grandiosity, low empathy, and entitlement. There has been limited research regarding the hormonal correlates of narcissism, despite the potential health implications. This study examined the role of participant narcissism and sex on basal cortisol concentrations in an undergraduate population.Methods and FindingsParticipants were 106 undergraduate students (79 females, 27 males, mean age 20.1 years) from one Midwestern and one Southwestern American university. Narcissism was assessed using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and basal cortisol concentrations were collected from saliva samples in a laboratory setting. Regression analyses examined the effect of narcissism and sex on cortisol (log). There were no sex differences in basal cortisol, F(1,97) = .20, p = .65, and narcissism scores, F(1,97) = .00, p = .99. Stepwise linear regression models of sex and narcissism and their interaction predicting cortisol concentrations showed no main effects when including covariates, but a significant interaction, β = .27, p = .04. Narcissism was not related to cortisol in females, but significantly predicted cortisol in males. Examining the effect of unhealthy versus healthy narcissism on cortisol found that unhealthy narcissism was marginally related to cortisol in females, β = .27, p = .06, but significantly predicted higher basal cortisol in males, β = .72, p = .01, even when controlling for potential confounds. No relationship was found between sex, narcissism, or their interaction on self-reported stress.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the HPA axis is chronically activated in males with unhealthy narcissism. This constant activation of the HPA axis may have important health implications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol

et al. 2012

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“…Individual signal change estimates were subjected to ANOVAs encompassing the within-subjects factor condition ( Self > Friend / Self > Stranger ) and the between-subject factors narcissism (high/low) as well as sex (female/male). Sex was considered a moderating factor because previous research indicated that female and male narcissists differ at psychological 10, 11 and also neurophysiological levels 33, 34 . Male narcissists displayed higher brain activation in the dorsal ACC (interaction narcissism * sex , p = 0.043, η 2 part.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent empirical evidence indicates that male narcissists display lower performance on measures of emotional intelligence, which is not the case in women 10 . Most strikingly, it was also found that narcissism is accompanied by general elevations in cortisol levels and exaggerated physiological stress responses, but only in men 33, 34 . Taken together with our fMRI findings, these results underpin the presumption that narcissism is qualitatively different in women and men, with primarily men showing increased sensitivity to potentially threatening situations and maladaptive affective regulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Self-viewing is associated with negative affect rather than reward in highly narcissistic men: an fMRI study

Jauk

Benedek

Koschutnig

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Subclinical narcissism is a personality trait with two faces: According to social-cognitive theories it is associated with grandiosity and feelings of superiority, whereas psychodynamic theories emphasize vulnerable aspects like fluctuating self-esteem and emotional conflicts. The psychodynamic view, however, is commonly not supported by self-report studies on subclinical narcissism. Personality neuroscience might help to better understand the phenomenon of narcissism beyond the limits of self-report research. While social-cognitive theory would predict that self-relevant processing should be accompanied by brain activity in reward-related areas in narcissistic individuals, psychodynamic theory would suggest that it should be accompanied by activation in regions pointing to negative affect or emotional conflict. In this study, extreme groups of high and low narcissistic individuals performed a visual self-recognition paradigm during fMRI. Viewing one’s own face (as compared to faces of friends and strangers) was accompanied by greater activation of the dorsal and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in highly narcissistic men. These results suggest that highly narcissistic men experience greater negative affect or emotional conflict during self-relevant processing and point to vulnerable aspects of subclinical narcissism that might not be apparent in self-report research.

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“…Some correlates of self-esteem, such as social comparison, defensive self-enhancement, and narcissism (Neff, 2003a), may be less effective than self-compassion when it comes to attenuating biological stress responses. For example, prior research shows that narcissists exhibit heightened cortisol reactivity to stress (Edelstein, Yim, & Kwas, 2010). By contrast, individuals who are able to treat themselves with kindness and compassion when faced with stress may show attenuated biological stress response patterns, regardless of their level of self-esteem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-compassionate young adults show lower salivary alpha-amylase responses to repeated psychosocial stress

et al. 2015

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In this study we tested the hypothesis that participants higher in dispositional self-compassion would show lower stress-induced reactivity of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), a marker of sympathetic nervous system activation. Thirty-three healthy participants (18–34 years old) were exposed to a standardized laboratory stressor on two consecutive days. Self-compassion, self-esteem, and demographic factors were assessed by questionnaire and sAA was assessed at baseline and at 1, 10, 30, and 60 minutes following each stressor. Self-compassion was a significant negative predictor of sAA responses on both days. This relationship remained significant when controlling for self-esteem, subjective distress, age, gender, ethnicity, and Body Mass Index (BMI). These results suggest that self-compassion may serve as a protective factor against stress-induced physiological changes that have implications for health.

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Narcissism predicts heightened cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor in men

Cited by 59 publications

References 52 publications

Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol

Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol

Self-viewing is associated with negative affect rather than reward in highly narcissistic men: an fMRI study

Self-compassionate young adults show lower salivary alpha-amylase responses to repeated psychosocial stress

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