Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 7; no. 1; p. e30858
Main Authors: Reinhard, David A., Konrath, Sara H., Lopez, William D., Cameron, Heather G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 23.01.2012
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Affect
Analysis
Biology
Cardiovascular disease
Cohort Studies
Colleges & universities
Cortisol
Ego
Female
Females
Gender aspects
Gender differences
Glucocorticoids
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Hydrocortisone - analysis
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Male
Males
Medicine
Narcissism
Osmolar Concentration
Regression analysis
Regression models
Saliva
Saliva - chemistry
Saliva - metabolism
Self esteem
Sex
Sex differences
Sex Factors
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Social Support
Steroids (Organic compounds)
Surveys and Questionnaires
Up-Regulation
Young Adult
Ann Arbor Michigan
United States > US
Michigan
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary: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. 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. 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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Conceived and designed the experiments: SHK. Analyzed the data: DAR SHK WDL HGC. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SHK. Wrote the paper: DAR SHK WDL HGC. Supervised data collection: WDL SHK.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0030858