Narcissism, a psychological description that includes abnormal levels of self-admiration, low capacity for empathy, and aversion to criticism, comes in two types: personality disorder (narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD, as measured by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM) and subclinical narcissism (individuals who exhibit narcissistic behaviors but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for NPD).
Only a licensed clinician can diagnose NPD, but subclinical levels of narcissism can be measured using several self-report instruments. One of the most widely used tests, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), assesses subclinical narcissism along seven dimensions, including vanity, power, and exhibitionism. Previous studies have found a relationship between NPI scores and behavioral indicators of short-term mating activity—particularly infidelity, unrestrained social sexuality, and mate hunting.
WEIRD Research
One criticism of much of the psychological research coming out of the United States, Canada, and Europe is that participants tend to be a fairly homogeneous group. The acronym WEIRD was coined by Henrich, Hein, and Norenzayan in 2010 to describe Western, Educated, Industrialized, Affluent, and Democratic cultures. WEIRD people represent less than 13% of the world’s population, yet more than 96% of the research findings published in psychology journals are based on studies from WEIRD cultures alone. Hence the need to study narcissism in many other countries around the world.
Narcissism Across Nations and Cultures
The links between narcissism, infidelity, uncommitted sex, and mate hunting are not limited to Western cultures. A recently published study examined the relationship between narcissism and multiple indicators of short-term sexual strategies across cultures. The International Sex Description Project 2 team, led by David Schmidt of Bradley University, measured NPI scores for 30,000 people in more than 50 countries across 11 world regions, including Africa, Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, and the Middle East.
They found similar global patterns for Western samples, with higher NPI scores associated with active pursuit of short-term mating and sexual aggression. Narcissists also showed higher levels of two personality traits associated with sex—extraversion and openness to experience.
Marital infidelity
Levels of narcissism were significantly higher among unfaithful married participants. This study categorized “faithful” individuals as those married for more than one year and who reported having no extramarital sexual partners. The proportions of individuals who reported being “unfaithful” varied widely across world regions—26 percent in North America, 8 percent in Central/South America, 27 percent in Africa, and 5 percent in East Asia, for example.
SOI and Unlawful Mate Hunting
Individuals with unrestrained sociosexual orientations are people who share a desire for sex with little or no commitment. The Sociosexual Orientation Questionnaire is an index designed to capture behavioral expressions of short-term marital status (e.g., casual relationships, a history of multiple sexual partners, and a desire to have sex on only one occasion with others).
Narcissists are more likely than nonnarcissists to have personal experiences with mate hunting (attracting someone else’s romantic partner) than are nonnarcissists. Mate hunters answer yes to questions such as, “Have you ever tried to attract someone who is already in a romantic relationship with someone else to have a short-term sexual relationship with you?”
Different Traits of Narcissism
Not all aspects of narcissism are bad. An individual with a narcissistic personality is likely to be self-confident and socially assertive—traits that are desirable in many situations. Across cultures, they tend to score high on measures of subjective well-being, indicating that they have a high emotional and cognitive quality of life.
On the other hand, narcissists also tend to be exploitative, manipulative, highly competitive, self-obsessed, and feel entitled to the point that it erodes friendships and romantic relationships—and these socially maladaptive elements are universally linked to short-term sexual activity.
