Narcissists are supportive of fellow narcissists, study finds

It's no surprise that narcissists are drawn to social media given the wealth of opportunities these platforms provide for self-promotion.

But what do narcissistic individuals think of fellow narcissists who act like them?

By examining behaviour on Instagram, a team of researchers sough to answer this question in a new study, published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.

"Posting selfies is a popular activity that exemplifies narcissistic self-promotion on Instagram," Seunga Venus, from Sejong University, told PsyPost. "Narcissism is a positive indicator of willingness to take selfies and frequency of posting selfies. Why do people not only post selfies but also 'like' and 'follow' others who post selfies?"

Researchers examined 276 adults, and concluded that Instagram users who posted selfies and group pictures were perceived as being more narcissistic.

Furthermore, they found that these people displayed a more positive attitude to selfies posted by other people and were more likely to follow fellow narcissists or post their own selfies.

"Selfies and groupies are interpreted as more negatively narcissistic than photos taken by others and neutral photos," Venus said. "However, narcissistic personality similarity between the selfie poster and viewer mediates this effect."

The team only focused on 'grandiose narcissism' – which involves an excessive admiration of an individual's own physical attractiveness – as opposed to 'vulnerable narcissism' which is associated with social withdrawal and insecurity.

Previous research in this area has shown that most narcissists love social media, however, individuals who display shy and vulnerable narcissism traits are more likely to be addicted.