Narcissists are more likely to become addicted to social networking sites

A longitudinal study of social networking site users found that almost all forms of narcissism are associated with symptoms of social networking site addiction. In other words, individuals with narcissistic traits were more likely to develop problematic patterns of social media use. The paper was published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok allow users to create profiles, share content, and interact with others online. They serve as platforms for social connection, entertainment, self-expression, and information exchange. However, excessive use of these platforms can lead to a behavioral pattern known as social networking site addiction.

This form of addiction is characterized by compulsive checking, an inability to cut back despite negative consequences, and emotional dependence on online interactions. It is associated with outcomes such as reduced real-life social engagement, sleep disturbances, and impaired academic or occupational performance. Psychological factors like low self-esteem, loneliness, and fear of missing out can contribute to the development of this behavioral addiction. Some neuroimaging studies suggest that social networking site addiction activates brain reward circuits in ways similar to other behavioral addictions.

Study author Julia Maria Balcerowska and her colleagues aimed to examine the relationship between narcissism and social networking site addiction. They were particularly interested in whether different forms of narcissism predict changes in addiction symptoms over time—and whether addiction symptoms predict changes in narcissistic traits.

Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by a stable tendency toward self-centeredness, inflated self-views, and a strong desire for attention and admiration. The study was grounded in the Circumplex Model of Narcissism, which organizes narcissistic traits along two dimensions: agency (ranging from assertiveness to passivity) and communion (ranging from warmth to coldness). A combination of these dimensions produces distinct forms of narcissism. The study examined six forms: admiration, rivalry, enmity, isolation, heroism, and sanctity. The researchers hypothesized that social networking site addiction would be associated with admiration, rivalry, enmity, and isolation.

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The study employed a longitudinal design, with participants completing assessments at four time points between 2020 and 2021. Of the 665 individuals who participated in the second wave of data collection, 362 also participated in the fourth. The final analysis included 339 participants, all from Poland, ranging in age from 19 to 41 years. The sample was evenly split between men and women.

Participants completed self-report measures of narcissism (using a combination of three validated instruments) and social networking site addiction (using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale). They also reported how much time they spent daily on social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

The results showed that all forms of narcissism except sanctity were positively associated with social networking site addiction. In other words, individuals scoring higher on most forms of narcissism also reported more symptoms of problematic social media use.

However, the longitudinal results revealed more nuanced patterns. Sanctity was not associated with social networking site addiction at either time point or over time. Heroism, admiration, and rivalry showed reciprocal temporal associations with addiction: after controlling for baseline levels, increases in these narcissistic traits predicted decreases in addiction symptoms, and increases in addiction symptoms predicted decreases in those narcissism scores—suggesting a dynamic, oscillating relationship.

In contrast, enmity and isolation changed in parallel with social networking site addiction. When addiction symptoms increased, so did these narcissistic traits, and vice versa. These forms of narcissism appeared to fluctuate in sync with problematic social media use, rather than predicting future changes.

“The results of our study showed that almost all forms of narcissism were associated with SNS [social media site] addiction. We also observed some variety across those forms concerning longitudinal relationships. Specifically, we found lagged, longitudinal links for heroism, admiration, and rivalry while for enmity and isolation those were limited to the same measurement. Such a finding corroborates with previous studies showing that self-protection motive is essential in understanding the cooccurrence of narcissism and SNS addiction,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the nature of the temporal links between social media site addiction and narcissism. However, it should be noted that the study results were entirely based on self-reports leaving room for reporting bias to have affected the results.

The paper, “A longitudinal study on the reciprocal relationship between narcissism and social Networking Sites addiction,” was authored by Julia Maria Balcerowska, Artur Sawicki, and Marcin Zajenkowski.