Narcissistic personality traits — such as superiority and entitlement — have been on the rise in recent years but it appears that it might not be a bad thing after all.
Many people find narcissists to be challenging to work with but as per this new study, they can easily attract a following of people, are more likely to receive promotions and often get paid more.
For a study by Queen’s University Belfast, researchers surveyed more than 700 adults who exhibited clinical or “normal” levels of narcissism (which is different from having a narcissistic personality disorder) and asked them about narcissism and mental toughness.
One of the key findings of the research was that grandiose narcissism can increase mental toughness and this can help to offset symptoms of depression.
It also found that people who score high on grandiose narcissism have lower levels of perceived stress and are therefore less likely to view their life as stressful.
The evidence showed that grandiose narcissism tended to be correlated with traits that help you succeed, such as mental toughness, confidence and goal-orientation. And the confidence and sense of accomplishment that people exhibiting grandiose narcissism gained seemed to offset any negative feelings of stress and depression than those traits might otherwise cause.
Grandiose narcissism appears to correlate positively with healthy self-esteem and extroversion.
