Facebook a haven for insecure narcissists, says new study

With social media giving us a quick and easy means to seek online approval and an admiration fix, a new study has pointed out that it can fuel addiction among narcissists.

Social networking sites such as Facebook provide the ideal environment for insecure narcissists to promote themselves and seek the admiration of others on a grand scale, the study says.

For the study, the researchers from University of Florence in Italy sought to find what type of narcissists are at higher risk for social networking addiction through a survey of 535 students.

In the article “Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissists: Who Is at Higher Risk for Social Networking Addiction?,” researchers Silvia Casale, Giulia Fioravanti and Laura Rugai suggest that vulnerable narcissists, who tend to be insecure and have lower self-esteem, are more likely to feel safer in online versus face-to-face interactions, which might lead them to prefer social networking as a means to gain approval and admiration.

In contrast, grandiose narcissists, who tend toward arrogance and exhibitionism, are likely to seek out admiration more openly, rather than through social media.

The researchers said that no significant differences in social networking addiction were found between grandiose narcissists and non-narcissists.

“This study suggests that vulnerable narcissism may contribute more to problematic use of SNSs (social networking sites) than grandiose narcissism,” they said.

“Since online interactions tend to have an indirect effect on an individual’s social self-esteem, it is important to assess carefully for co-morbid depression in those presenting with generalised problematic internet use,” said editor-in-chief Brenda K Wiederhold, Interactive Media Institute. The study was published online in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

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