Researchers examined how narcissism relates to romantic relationships. They followed over 5,000 couples for up to six years and used questionnaires to measure two dimensions of narcissism: admiration and rivalry. Admiration describes efforts to impress others, while rivalry describes putting others down to feel superior.
The main results showed that rivalry traits were linked to lower satisfaction for both partners. In contrast, admiration had no meaningful effect on either partner’s satisfaction. Couples who had been together for a year or less showed no association between narcissistic traits and satisfaction. The findings challenge the simple idea that narcissists are always charming at first and then damaging later.
Difficult words
- narcissism — A personality style of high self-interest
- admiration — Wanting to impress or be liked by others
- rivalry — Trying to be better by putting others down
- satisfaction — A feeling of being happy with a relationship
- questionnaire — A set of written questions for peoplequestionnaires
- link — To show a connection between two thingslinked
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Discussion questions
- Do you think admiration helps a relationship? Why or why not?
- What could someone do if their partner often puts them down?
- Have you seen a new relationship that later had problems? Briefly describe one reason why.
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Connie Nshemereirwe is an educational measurement specialist and former engineer who promotes Africa-led research, better science communication and stronger ties among scientists in the global South. She also directs the Africa Science Leadership Program.
