WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, revealed that narcissists more often feel excluded than those with lower self-obsession.
'Feeling ostracized is a subjective experience based on the perception of social cues by the individual. Some may be intentionally ostracized, while others may merely believe they are being excluded when that's not the case,' said lead author Christiane Buttner of the University of Basel.
'Our findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of narcissism are more sensitive to exclusion cues, leading them to perceive ostracism more frequently.'
The researchers first examined data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, a national survey of about 22,000 households. They focused on 1,592 people who answered questions about narcissism and feeling left out in 2015. The study found that individuals with higher levels of narcissism were more likely to report experiencing social loneliness.
To further validate these findings, the team conducted a two-week study with 323 participants. These individuals took narcissism tests and shared past experiences of feeling excluded. For the next 14 days, they used a mobile app to record any moments when they felt ignored or left out.
Researchers also conducted experiments with over 2,500 people to understand the connection between narcissism and feeling left out.
In one experiment, participants played a virtual ball-tossing game where two other players either included them or ignored them. Another experiment asked participants to read social situations and rate how excluded they felt.
The findings showed that narcissistic people were more likely to feel left out in unclear social situations, even when exclusion was not obvious. Additional experiments also found that others tend to avoid highly narcissistic individuals, reinforcing their feelings of social exclus ion.
'If people with high narcissistic traits are more likely to feel and be excluded, this could contribute to escalating tensions in workplaces or social groups. At the same time, their heightened sensitivity to exclusion might make them more likely to react aggressively,' Buttner noted.
'These findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships and reducing social friction should consider both the perceptions and behaviors of the individuals involved.'
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