New study reveals that men are more narcissistic than women

A new study published by researchers from the University of Buffalo has revealed that against what many used to think, men are not found to be more narcissistic than women. Narcissism in short is an unhealthy interest and excessive admiration of oneself; it is a consciousness of self as it relates to beauty and hygiene among other personal devotion to self.

Reviewing over 355 journal articles, surveys, academic dissertations, and manuscripts, the researchers worked hard to analyze gender differences as it relatives to narcissism. And to help them arrive at a proven conclusion, the researchers categorized their data materials into three divisions – or rather, three groups of narcissistic tendencies. These were extreme self-interest in the areas of authority and leadership, exhibitionism and grandiosity, as well as entitlement.

According to Emily Grijalva, lead author and assistant professor at Buffalo’s School of Management “Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression.

“At the same time, narcissism is shown to boost self-esteem, emotional stability and the tendency to emerge as a leader,” Grijalva continued. “By examining gender differences in narcissism, we may be able to explain gender disparities in these important outcomes.”

Rather than genetics, the authors opine that men display more narcissism as a result of gender gap influenced by stereotypes and societal expectations, underlining why men tend to exhibit attitudes and personality.

“Individuals tend to observe and learn gender roles from a young age, and may face backlash for deviating from society’s expectations,” Grijalva stated. “In particular, women often receive harsh criticism for being aggressive or authoritative, which creates pressure for women, more so than for men, to suppress displays of narcissistic behavior.”

On the whole, men scored consistently higher than women as regards to self-obsession among other attention-seeking frivolities, as against what women are traditionally known to be obsessed about.