Latest news with #JournalofResearchinPersonality
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Addicted to likes? This one phone habit could reveal you are dealing with a narcissist, experts say
We've all joked about someone being 'obsessed with their phone,' but what if that attachment to the screen is more than just habit? According to new psychological research , the way someone uses their smartphone—particularly when it comes to social media—might offer a revealing glimpse into something deeper: narcissism . In a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality , researchers from the University of Gdańsk in Poland have uncovered a striking link between compulsive social media use and narcissistic traits. The findings are both fascinating and unsettling—pointing to the idea that your friend who can't stop scrolling might not just be bored, but showing signs of a much more complex personality issue. The Mirror in Your Palm describes narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) as being 'in love with an idealized, grandiose image of themselves.' This exaggerated self-image, they explain, acts as a mask—shielding deep-rooted insecurities. But that mask isn't effortless to maintain. It demands constant admiration, external validation, and a curated reality, all of which platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook readily provide. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo According to the study, which surveyed 665 social media users, nearly all expressions of narcissism—ranging from admiration to rivalry, isolation to heroism—were associated with higher addiction to social media, with the only exception being the trait of sanctity. Scroll, Like, Repeat: The Addictive Loop of Praise Addiction specialists are now seeing this digital devotion as more than just a cultural shift. The Addiction Center notes that as many as 10 percent of Americans may be addicted to social media. Warning signs include neglecting real-life relationships , missing social events, losing interest in hobbies, and declining performance at work—all in favor of online interaction. You Might Also Like: 'It is not AI that scares me, it is us': Psychologist Charan Ranganath's video on tech's impact on human behaviour resurfaces Why is this so enticing? Dr. Anna Lembke, addiction medicine specialist and author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence , explains it in one word: dopamine. That quick hit of happiness when someone likes your post isn't harmless—it triggers a pleasure response in the brain, reinforcing the behavior. But over time, the system becomes overloaded. The more we seek these digital highs, the less satisfying they become. It becomes a loop of diminishing returns, leading to overuse and, for some, dependency. The Narcissist Next Door? The Telltale Signs in the Scroll What does this mean for your everyday interactions? If someone close to you seems obsessed with social media, frequently fishing for praise, avoiding deeper emotional connections, or constantly needing to feel superior, psychologists say these could be signs of narcissistic tendencies. According to a report from UNILAD Tech , the Cleveland Clinic outlines traits like entitlement, lack of empathy, constant need for admiration, and arrogance as classic markers of NPD. Pair those with compulsive phone use and it's not just a bad habit—it might be a red flag. In a world increasingly mediated by screens, it's worth asking: is our need for connection becoming a need for applause? And at what point does performance for likes become a psychological warning sign? You Might Also Like: Forget Freud: How this psychologist's overlooked insights could be the cure to today's mental health crisis?
New York Post
23-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Narcissists always give themselves away — with this one bad habit that's tough to hide
They're so vain — and this new study is definitely about them. Looking to weed out the narcissists in your life? Researchers say there's one, hard-to-hide habit the unpalatable personality type finds impossible to break. The way they engage with their smartphones can tell you everything you need to know, new findings reveal — those with narcissistic tendencies are significantly more likely to exhibit problematic patterns of scrolling, posting, and liking social media posts. 4 A narcissist a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves. Galina_lya – The data, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, shows that a person's social media behavior could be an indicator that someone is a bit too into themselves. Social media addiction goes beyond heavy usage. It includes behaviors like compulsively checking for updates, being unable to cut back despite negative consequences, and relying on online interactions for emotional satisfaction. These behaviors can lead to problems in real life — including sleep problems, reduced face-to-face interaction, and poor job or academic performance. The team worked to explore not just whether narcissism and addiction are linked, but how they might influence each other over time. 4 A new study found that those with narcissistic tendencies are significantly more likely to exhibit problematic patterns of scrolling, posting, and liking social media posts. motortion – To begin, they identified six forms of narcissism: admiration, rivalry, enmity, isolation, heroism, and sanctity. The study sample was comprised of 339 adults aged 19 to 41, living in Poland. They all completed multiple assessments, answered questions about their social media use, and filled out established measures of narcissism and social networking addiction focused on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The results showed that individuals who scored high in nearly every form of narcissism — except sanctity— also reported higher levels of social media addiction. 4 The team discovered that individuals who scored high in nearly every form of narcissism — except sanctity— also reported higher levels of social media addiction. Valerii Honcharuk – However, the dynamic between the two varied depending on the type of narcissism. Those with heroism, admiration, and rivalry had what researchers called a 'reciprocal' relationship with addiction. When one went up, the other tended to go down over time, suggesting a push-pull dynamic where users may alternate between bursts of ego-driven behavior and periods of compulsive social media use. This hints at an internal struggle between seeking admiration and dealing with the consequences of addiction. 4 Social media addiction has been found to led to behaviors that can lead to problems IRL, including sleep problems, reduced face-to-face interaction, and poor job or academic performance. 9nong – In contrast, enmity (a hostile, antagonistic form of narcissism) and isolation (withdrawn and cold) tracked in sync with social media addiction. When usage spiked, so did these darker narcissistic traits — and vice versa. That suggests these traits may actually worsen the addiction or feed off it in a continuous loop. So, what does this mean for the average user? If someone is constantly glued to their phone, obsessing over likes and followers, they might not just be addicted to their feed — they could also be revealing something about their personality. And if their behavior seems driven by a need for admiration or marked by antagonism, you might be looking at a narcissistic pattern. Of course, the researchers caution that their study was based entirely on self-report data, which means some findings could be influenced by how honestly participants assessed their own behaviors and traits. Still, the study opens a fascinating window into how our online habits mirror our inner worlds. So next time you find yourself — or someone else — unable to stop refreshing that Instagram feed, it might be worth asking: Is this just a bad habit — or a sign of something worse?
