Summary: A large international study of more than 45,000 people shows that narcissism is a universal personality trait—not one concentrated in any single country. Although nations differed somewhat, the five highest-scoring countries were Germany, Iraq, China, Nepal, and South Korea, with the United States ranking 16th. Across all 53 countries, the same patterns emerged: young adults scored higher than older adults, and men scored higher than women.
The findings suggest that age-related declines in narcissism, and gender differences in the trait, are remarkably consistent worldwide. These results challenge assumptions about cultural influences and highlight how both biology and life experience shape self-focused tendencies.
Key Facts
- Universally Present: Narcissism appeared consistently across 53 countries, showing shared global patterns.
- Not a U.S.-Centric Trait: The United States ranked 16th, well below the highest-scoring nations.
- Age & Gender Effects: Young adults and men scored higher on narcissism in nearly every country studied.
Source: Michigan State University
If you watch TV, read popular books or even study research articles, you may walk away believing narcissism is a uniquely United States-based characteristic, whether most common in American young adults, professionals in law, business or entertainment, or politicians.
But a recent study from researchers at Michigan State University’s Department of Psychology found that narcissism is a universal trait with consistent patterns across cultures. Interestingly, their findings indicate the U.S. is not even in the top five countries with the highest levels of narcissism — and that rates are higher among young adults and men.
Narcissism, which is a psychological trait that involves excessively high self-esteem but relatively low empathy, also involves an excessive positive focus on the self and a low regard for others.
The study, published in Self and Identity, included over 45,000 people from 53 countries who provided survey data on how narcissistic they were. This data set used one of the largest and most culturally diverse data collections on psychological characteristics available.
The researchers examined how age, gender and perceived status differences in narcissism manifested across countries, including examining the roles of individualism/collectivism values and each country’s gross domestic product, or GDP.
The study found that the five countries with the highest overall narcissism scores didn’t include the United States—which came in at 16 on the list. Rather, the top five countries were Germany, Iraq, China, Nepal and South Korea, with the five countries with the lowest narcissism scores being Serbia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The researchers also found consistently across cultures that young adults were more narcissistic than older adults and that men were more narcissistic than women.
“We found that there were differences across cultures, including that people from higher GDP countries were more narcissistic, but the degree to which younger adults were narcissistic compared to older adults didn’t matter much on what country you were from,” said William Chopik, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
Previous research has shown that cultures play a significant role in shaping one’s personality and the lived experiences of people from different demographic backgrounds, but this study suggests that there are aspects of cultures that might not exert as strong of an influence.
“Being young nearly everywhere involves focusing on yourself and thinking you’re better than you are,” Chopik said. “But life can be a humbling experience, and it seems to humble people in a similar way across cultures.”
The researchers were also surprised to find that people from highly collectivistic, or group-oriented countries had similar patterns to more individualistic-thinking countries.
“Even cultures we may consider to be group-oriented don’t necessarily suppress self-focused behaviors,” said Macy Miscikowski, co-author and research associate.
“Insights like these encourage us to think about the balance between cultural and biological influences on personality. It also suggests exciting avenues for studies on how life experiences, societal expectations and economic contexts interact to shape the expression of narcissistic traits across one’s lifespan.”
Key Questions Answered:
A: No. The study found that several countries scored higher overall, placing the U.S. in the middle of the global rankings.
A: No. Young adults consistently scored higher than older adults, and men scored higher than women across nearly all countries.
A: Not significantly. Even group-oriented cultures showed similar self-focused patterns to more individualistic countries.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- Journal paper reviewed in full.
- Additional context added by our staff.
About this psychology and self-centeredness research news
Author: Jack Harrison
Source: Michigan State University
Contact: Jack Harrison – Michigan State University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Cultural moderation of demographic differences in narcissism” by William Chopik et al. Self and Identity
Abstract
Cultural moderation of demographic differences in narcissism
This study examined demographic differences in narcissism across 53 countries, with a sample of over 45,000 participants.
We explored how age, gender, and perceived social status were associated with narcissistic admiration and rivalry, and whether these associations were moderated by cultural factors like individualism/collectivism and gross domestic product (GDP).
Consistent with previous research, younger adults (compared to older adults), men (compared to women), and those who saw themselves as higher-status (compared to lower-status) reported higher levels of narcissism. Narcissistic admiration and rivalry followed similar demographic trends.
People from higher GDP and more collectivistic cultures reported higher narcissism levels (particularly for admiration), with the latter effect challenging conventional views that narcissism is predominantly a product of individualistic societies.
Despite variation in mean levels of narcissism, demographic differences were largely consistent across cultures.
