The type of person which enjoys being around a narcissist revealed in study

Narcissists are self-absorbed and unempathetic

The selfie trend has swept the globe (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for GUESS)

Self-obsessed and lacking in empathy, narcissists can be difficult to be around.

Now, a study has pinpointed the type of person who can best tolerate narcissists: other narcissists.

Classic narcissistic traits include an inflated sense of self important, deep self-admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. However, they can also often have a fragile self-esteem and be vulnerable to criticism.

German researchers set out to uncover the personality traits of people who are willing to be exposed to narcissists on a long-term basis.

The experts built on previous research which investigated interactions between narcissists and strangers.

To make their findings, researchers behind the study published in the journal ‘Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin’ studied a total of 290 pairs of best friends.

The researchers took into account whether a person fell on the spectrum of the Dark Triad, which maps Machiavellianism, narcissistic and psychopathic traits. They also considered the Big Five personality traits: conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience.

The results showed that narcissists tend to group together, and was strongest in male friends.

Researchers believe that narcissists are friends because other people find their traits less appealing.

“Two narcissist best friends will probably not threaten each other’s ego,” the study's authors wrote, according to the Huffington Post.

Dr. Joe Burgo, a psychotherapist and author of The Narcissist You Know, told the website that narcissists rarely have lasting friendships.

“But when they do, those friendships are best described as a mutual admiration society: 'I agree to support your inflated sense of self and you agree to support mine.”

She added that true affection and concern for the other person was rare.

Previous research has suggested that identifying a narcissist is as simple as asking: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement: I am a narcissist".

Researchers at The Ohio State University concluded that narcissists will admit it, as they are unlikely to think such behaviour is bad.