How to tell if someone is a narcissist with one simple question
Apparently a true narcissist will be unlikely to think of it as a bad thing
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Louise Thomas
Editor
If you're looking for a narcissist, just ask.
That’s according to a new video produced by New York Magazine’s The Science of Us, based on research last year that suggested you only need one question to find out which of your friends is really, really into themselves.
Just ask them upfront: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement: I am a narcissist."
Apparently this question relies on the fact that a true narcissist will be unlikely to think of their narcissism as a bad thing.
"People who are willing to admit they are more narcissistic than others probably actually are more narcissistic," said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University.
This method takes up a lot less time than the 40 question Narcissistic Personality Inventory, which was developed by Robert Raskin and Howard Terry in 1979.
Since then, there have been plenty of studies into what makes a person a narcissist, and how we can become more self-aware in an age where the word "selfie" was awarded word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary in 2013.
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