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Cited by 61Personality Traits and PsychologyStress Responses and CortisolPersonality Disorders and Psychopathology

Expensive egos: narcissistic males have higher cortisol.

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Reinhard, David A., Konrath, Sara H., Lopez, William D., Cameron, Heather G.·2012·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0030858PMC PMC3264640
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, low empathy, and entitlement. There has been limited research regarding the hormonal correlates of narcissism, despite the potential health implications. This study examined the role of participant narcissism and sex on basal cortisol concentrations in an undergraduate population. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Participants were 106 undergraduate students (79 females, 27 males, mean age 20.1 years) from one Midwestern and one Southwestern American university. Narcissism was assessed using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and basal cortisol concentrations were collected from saliva samples in a laboratory setting. Regression analyses examined the effect of narcissism and sex on cortisol (log). There were no sex differences in basal cortisol, F(1,97) = .20, p = .65, and narcissism scores, F(1,97) = .00, p = .99. Stepwise linear regression models of sex and narcissism and their interaction predicting cortisol concentrations showed no main effects when including covariates, but a significant interaction, β = .27, p = .04. Narcissism was not related to cortisol in females, but significantly predicted cortisol in males. Examining the effect of unhealthy versus healthy narcissism on cortisol found that unhealthy narcissism was marginally related to cortisol in females, β = .27, p = .06, but significantly predicted higher basal cortisol in males, β = .72, p = .01, even when controlling for potential confounds. No relationship was found between sex, narcissism, or their interaction on self-reported stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the HPA axis is chronically activated in males with unhealthy narcissism. This constant activation of the HPA axis may have important health implications.

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  • Many previous studies found substantial sex differences in the association between narcissism and emotion regulation, suggesting that primarily men display emotional deficits associated with narcissism.

    “Lastly, many previous studies found substantial sex differences in the association between narcissism and emotion regulation, suggesting that primarily men display emotional deficits associated with narcissism (Morf and Rhodenwalt, 2001; Edelstein et al., 2010; Reinhard et al., 2012; Jauk et al., 2016a, 2017).”

    From The Relationship between Grandiose and Vulnerable (Hypersensitive) Narcissism (2017) · cites this paper as Reinhard et al., 2012

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Authors
Reinhard, D. A., Konrath, S. H., Lopez, W. D., & Cameron, H. G.
Affiliations
  • University of Virginia (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
Konrath, Sara H.
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2012-01-23
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
e30858
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0030858
PMC
PMC3264640
OpenAlex
W2012096440
Cited by
61
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
6.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2012-07-12)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • University of Michigan
  • Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
Keywords
narcissism, cortisol, basal cortisol, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, sex differences, healthy narcissism, stress, undergraduate students
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Ego, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Narcissism, Osmolar Concentration, Surveys and Questionnaires, Saliva, Sex Factors, Social Support, Cohort Studies, Up-Regulation, Young Adult

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