Category: narcissism

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A Study Shows That Boomers Are Indeed More Sensitive Than Millennials

Older folks like to treat younger generations like they’re soft – as if they get their feelings hurt over small slights and aren’t tough enough to walk uphill both ways to school in the snow – but the data coming out of a very long, thorough psychological study says that’s not at all true.

Basically, millennials (and GenX and GenZ) have one more reason to roll their eyes the next time an older person calls them a snowflake.

The study, published in Psychology and Aging, investigated narcissistic behavior between generations using six data sets that followed almost 750 people born between 1923 and 1969. They found that the earlier in the 20th century someone was born, the more likely they were to display high levels of hypersensitivity.

Regardless of generation, the study also showed that people do tend to become less narcissistic as they age.

Lead author William Chopik released a statement saying,

“There’s a narrative in our culture that generations are getting more narcissistic, but no one has ever looked at it through generations or how it varies with age at the same time. One of the most surprising findings was that – also contrary to what many people think – individuals who were born earlier in the century started off with higher levels of hyper-sensitivity, or the type of narcissism where people are full of themselves, as well as willfulness, which is the tendency to impose opinions on others.”

In sum: there’s little to no evidence that the younger generations are “weaker” or less hardy than any that came before them.

Levels of narcissism remain relatively stable across a person’s lifespan, though some aspects do wane with age: things like being full of yourself and trying to make others live according to your opinions.

On the other hand, having high aspirations for yourself increase as we age.

“There are things that happen in life that can shake people a little bit, and force them to adapt their narcissistic qualities. As you age, you form new relationships, have new experiences, start a family and so on. All of these factors make someone realize that it’s not ‘all about them,’” Chopik continued.

And get this: younger generations (i.e. teenagers today) are more well-behaved than any other in recent history. They’re also eschewing alcohol, cigarettes (I’m guessing e-cigs weren’t counted?) and teen sex by way wider margins than previous recent generations.

There you go, my fellow snowflakes. I guess we’ll all just sit here and not melt together (as the Earth warms around us), because we’re tough like that.

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Narcissists Might Lack the Fundamental Ability to Make Sound Decisions

It seems like varying degrees of narcissism run rampant in our society these days, but as far as the clinical disorder, much about it still remains a mystery.

There are traits typically associated with both types – grandiose and vulnerable narcissism – like impulsiveness and cognitive reflection. But while grandiose narcissists tend to have higher self-esteem and think themselves superior to others, vulnerable narcissists are usually insecure, introverted, and defensive.

Both types, according to new research, are self-focused, impulsive, think highly of their intellectual ability, and perceive themselves as critical thinkers (whether they are or not).

This affects narcissists in an interesting way – and it impairs their ability to make decisions across the board.

Three separate studies were used to assess the intuitive thinking of narcissists. The participants were asked to solve riddles and answer other questions that require some extra thought and the ability to stop and wonder whether your first instinct is correct. Participants then self-reported on their own thought process and how confident they felt in their answers.

The results, says co-author Jonathan Fugelsang, are very interesting.

“We found that grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are negatively associated with certain types of important reflective thinking processes.”

Grandiose narcissists were “significantly overconfident” in their performance, unaware of their mistakes and rejecting any attempts to correct them.

Vulnerable narcissists, meanwhile, were more willing to engage in reflection, but ultimately found the process to be ineffective and time consuming. Not only that, but they, like their grandiose counterparts, weren’t able to rely on intuitive thinking when making decisions.

People in this category disengage from receiving corrective feedback for different reasons – they simply doubt their own ability to make good calls using reason, so instead, they claim confidence in “gut instinct.”

The study’s authors point out it could be a chicken and egg scenario – that individuals who lack cognitive reflection then exhibit narcissistic tendencies and not the other way around – but more research is needed to know for sure.

There are implications here for society at large, especially when it comes to positions of power. Narcissism as a diagnosis is a growing issue, and the current 1% who suffer can impact and influence many more with their behaviors.

So, take some time for some self-reflection and introspection, people.

If you’re not able to take that sentence seriously, well…it might be time for a good therapist.

If you don’t have one already.

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