Narcissistic traits do change with age, with individuals generally becoming less self-absorbed as they mature. However, a person’s relative level of narcissism compared to their peers tends to remain remarkably stable throughout life. This suggests narcissism is a persistent personality characteristic, though researchers are exploring why it declines with age.
If you are reading this, chances are, you know someone who is just incapable of thinking of anyone but themselves. A friend who turns every conversation into their boastful monologue, a colleague who craves constant validation, or a boss that’s demanding.
And you must have had the question: Are they narcissistic for live, or is it going to fade at all? Well, science now has answers!According to a study by the researchers at the American Psychological Association, narcissists do undergo changes as they age. So, do they mellow out as they grow older or become worse? The research was published in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
Do narcissists grow kinder?
The researchers found that age does have an effect on narcissistic behavior.
People tend to be less self-absorbed as they age from childhood through adulthood. But, here’s the twist. The differences among individuals remain stable over time. For instance, the obnoxious kid who dominated the classroom will likely still be the most self-absorbed person in the room decades later! Because the researchers found that people who are more narcissistic than their peers as children tend to remain that way as adults.
“These findings have important implications given that high levels of narcissism influence people’s lives in many ways, both the lives of the narcissistic individuals themselves and, maybe even more, the lives of their families and friends,” lead author Ulrich Orth, PhD, of the University of Bern in Switzerland, said in a release. The researchers analyzed data from 51 longitudinal studies, to measure how participants’ levels of narcissism changed over time.
The studies had 37,247 participants (52% female and 48% male) ranging in age from 8 to 77. Some of the studies followed the participants for decade. Most of these studies were conducted in U.S., Canada and Western Europe, with one in China and one in New Zealand.
Three phases of narcissism
The understand better, the researchers looked at three different types of narcissism. Agentic narcissism: Feelings of grandiosity or superiority and a strong need for admiration Antagonistic narcissism: Characterized by arrogance, entitlement, callousness and low empathyNeurotic narcissism: Linked to emotional dysregulation and hypersensitivityThe researchers found that all three types of narcissism declined from childhood through old age, with a small decline for agentic narcissism and a moderate decline for antagonistic and neurotic narcissism.
They also found that people’s narcissism relative to that of their peers did not change significantly over time. “This was true even across very long periods of time, which suggests that narcissism is a stable personality trait. Most of the data analyzed in the study were from the United States and Western Europe, so future research should examine narcissism across a broader range of countries and cultures,”Orth said.The researchers are planning to explore the reasons behind why narcissism declines with age. “One theory suggests that the social roles we take on in adulthood, for example as a partner, a parent, an employee and so on, lead to the development of more mature personality characteristics, including lower levels of narcissism,” Orth concluded.
