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Harjunen VJ, Krusemark E, Stigzelius S, Halmesvaara OW, Annala M, Henttonen P, Määttänen I, Silfver M, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Ravaja N. Under the thin skin of narcissus: Facial muscle activity reveals amplified emotional responses to negative social evaluation in individuals with grandiose narcissistic traits. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14315. [PMID: 37186319 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with grandiose narcissism exhibit enhanced antagonism and a defensive pattern of discordance between their emotional and physiological reactions to self-threatening evaluations. Although theoretical perspectives link narcissistic defensiveness to negative emotions, empirical evidence linking grandiose narcissism to emotional reactivity remains mixed. The current study used self-reported affect, electrocardiography, and facial electromyography (fEMG) to examine whether people scoring high in grandiose narcissism show amplified physiological and self-reported emotional reactivity to negative social evaluation. Following two challenging cognitive tasks, participants received negative and neutral feedback in a face-to-face evaluation situation. Receiving negative feedback decreased self-reported positive affect and dominance, slowed heart rate, and amplified fEMG activity related to frowning and eye constriction. Although self-reported emotional reactions were unrelated to grandiose narcissism, fEMG activity associated with negative affect was significantly enhanced by grandiose narcissism. In conclusion, individuals with higher levels of grandiose narcissism may not be willing to report overt emotional reactivity to self-threatening feedback, but physiological responses "beneath their thin skin" reveal amplified threat-related facial muscle activity suggestive of a negative emotional state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ville J Harjunen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elizabeth Krusemark
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
| | - Saskia Stigzelius
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otto W Halmesvaara
- Social Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Annala
- Social Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pentti Henttonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilmari Määttänen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mia Silfver
- Social Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Niklas Ravaja
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Smyth AP, Werner KM, Milyavskaya M, Holding A, Koestner R. Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2020.104015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Ford MB. A Nuanced View of the Benefits of Mindfulness: Self-Esteem as a Moderator of the Effects of Mindfulness on Responses to Social Rejection. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2017.36.9.739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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