Oh Pa-leeeeze!

[DonnaT]

Beware of the narcissist: Plucked eyebrows may reveal a personality disorder

By Roger Dobson
Last Updated: 3:48PM BST 09/07/2008
Visible cleavage, plucked eyebrows and a cheery smile are all warning signs of a narcissistic personality, psychologists have discovered.

Observers are quick to pick up on such signals and use them to categorise people at a glance, according to a new study.

Such accuracy and speed of detection may have evolved to allow people to steer clear of narcissists and thus avoid the downsides of their behaviour, which include self-deception and a lack of regard for others, the researchers believe.

The findings emerged from the first academic investigation into the physical appearance of narcissists.

“We found that narcissism does have a distinct physical signature, and can be detected from physical appearance alone,” says Dr Peter Rentfrow, a psychologist at the University of Cambridge, and one of the team that carried out the study.

“Narcissists tend to be quite charming initially, but once you get into the relationship you realise your attempts to do something other than what the narcissist wants are foiled.”

The condition owes its name to the Greek myth of Narcissus, a handsome youth who rejected the advances of a nymph, and as punishment was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.

But psychiatrists nowadays consider “narcissistic personality disorder” as a distinct, diagnosable malady, defined as individuals displaying “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy”.

The research involved 160 young men and women at the University of Texas who each asked three people they knew to provide a rating of their personality. They also completed a battery of personality tests, and then had their full-length photograph taken.

A panel of people were then asked to guess the personality type of the people in the photos. The researchers compared their guesses with the actual personality of the individuals as assessed in the tests and by their friends.

The results show that the rating panel was able to spot narcissists with a high degree of accuracy. The giveaway clues were a neat, organised and attractive appearance; stylish and expensive clothes; and a cheerful demeanour.

For women, key markers included showing cleavage, having plucked eyebrows and wearing make-up. For men, a muscular physique was rated as a key indicator, whereas wearing glasses was a sign of not being narcissistic.

“Our exploratory analyses suggest that narcissism is associated with a neat, organised appearance, flashy, revealing clothing, greater adornment like make-up, and expensive, stylish clothes,” say the researchers, whose study is to appear in the Journal of Research in Personality.

“These results suggest that narcissists do seem to alter their appearance, consciously or unconsciously, in a way that reflects their appearance-oriented motives.

"The image that narcissists create appears to capture the unique constellation of personality traits characteristic of narcissism.

"Narcissism is associated with vanity, exhibitionism, and status-seeking.

"Our findings show that these values are reflected in narcissists’ physical appearance - in the clothes they wear, the effort they put into their appearance, and their less-inhibited display of their bodies.”

The psychologists say that the remarkable accuracy of snap judgements of narcissism probably reflects the importance of the trait in interpersonal interactions.

“Narcissism has important consequences both for narcissists and those who must interact with them,” they say.

“For those who must interact with narcissists, they face a host of unpleasant or maladaptive behaviours such as self-deception, even in the face of disconfirming evidence; anger, hostility, and aggression in the face of threat to their ego; and self-enhancement and self-serving attributions.

“Perhaps the ability to judge narcissism quickly and accurately is in the service of avoiding such potentially unpleasant interactions.”

[DonnaT]

Dr Peter Rentfrow, a psychologist

Dr Kenneth J. Zucker, a psychologist

Wait, I'm on to something about all psychologists . . . . I need funding to make sure.

[Carolynn]

By Golly, Donna, I think you are on to something alright!!!

Yeah, funding. Maybe an application to the Govt. for funds?

Carolynn

[Jeannie]

Hi Donna

Quote:
By Roger Dobson
Last Updated: 3:48PM BST 09/07/2008
"Visible cleavage, plucked eyebrows and a cheery smile are all warning signs of a narcissistic personality, psychologists have discovered. "

Yeah right. They are also warning signs of LTS. Little Tramp Syndrome which I suffer from. Remember Donna. Put a few spaces between the e and r in therapists and what does it spell? Hugs.


Love
Auntie Jeannie

[Lydia]

Utter psycho-babblic nonsense.

Says: Lydia

[Carol Ann]

Now Lydia please don't speak French to me as I am just a poor country girl.

Jeannie:
Better be careful or one of those doctors may take you to the woodshed for a little one on one talking too.

[Caith]

Okay, so this makes psychologists sexist, misogynist pigs, right?

[Absaroka]

Actually I think there is probably a lot to it although the article probably over simplifies things greatly.

One woman will have a little cleavage, a nice smile, and nice makeup and be a nice person. Another attired similarly but not exactly alike will give off some sort of warning signal that we don't understand that makes us wary. Narcissism? Maybe. But we'll probably just say to ourselves that they look like they could be a beautiful bitch. Likewise the guys and their appearance.

Most of us communicate at least as much in terms of appearance and body language as we do verbally, and often the signals are not realized at a conscious level.

This isn't to say that any time you see some cleavage on a woman or a guy with muscles that they are a narcissist. But I bet if we participated in the survey we'd draw the same conclusions about the people we were looking at as everyone else.

There's also a big difference between being a bit narcissistic vs. being diagnosed with a narcissistic personality disorder. Personality disorders are all bad news in terms of peoples ability to function in harmony with society and someone with an accurate diagnosis of this is going to be very difficult to get along with over any length of time.

Absaroka

[Virginia]

Virginia ------------ Guilty as Charged!!!!

Plucked eyebrows, make-up and once in a while she wears sun glasses (do those count!) Oh and she had a tendency to smile at people. It is a sincere smile (does that count also?).

I might also mention that her alter-ego can bench press over 400 pounds and squat in the mid-500's and most people think she is a nice person too!

I like the previously relative term, psycho-babble!

What I would really like to see is these whack-o's looking more into RID. Now if you want to study "whack-jobs" Religious Identy Disorder would open the doors to a world of whack-jobs that, in this girl's opinion really need serious treatment, including electric shock treatment and lots and lots of little pills!!!

Virginia

[ChristineK]

Put a few spaces between the e and r in therapists and what does it spell?

I love it!

Blood Sucking Lawyers and The Rapists, that so fits. Hey it starts out with a 50 minute hour

I may not agree totally with this story but I can relate to it though. I work in an environment where I come in contact with a lot of people regularly. I kind of saw the fit for some of what they said.

[CJ]

Hi all,

Also, a new study published in the June 2008 issue of North American Science Journal reports that women (and, presumably, crossdressers) wearing lacy underwear may be at a higher risk of developing a medical disorder known as aphasia.

North American Science Journal
Volume 13, issue #6
June 2008

Abstract:

The Role of Lace Garments and Dermal Contact Vasorestriction in the Incidence of Glossopharyngeal Nerve Damage Leading to Aphasic Symptoms

Herbert St-Amand, Ph.D., M.D.

Article examines how the chronic wearing of lacy garments, especially underwear, can create dermal microbulges through the fabric netting, leading to a type of capillary necrosis in the area surrounding the gluteus maximus thought to to be affiliated with the glossopharyngeal nerve. Damage to this nerve can lead to a type of aphasia known as promelodic aphasia minor. Patients suffering from promelodic aphasia minor can no longer articulate their thoughts in written or verbal form yet maintain their ability to express themselves in a melodic way. Sang one sufferer (to the air of "Happy Birthday To You"): "I love lacy panties / I love lacy panties / I wear lacy panties / And now I'm aphasic."

Who knew, eh?

Love,
CJ

[Absaroka]

Virginia I love the idea of the RID diagnosis.

I would suspect that a great many religious fanatics suffer from some sort of personality disorder or and DSM diagnosis. The religiosity is a way of trying to keep their problems under control. And since I think some of them consider themselves God's personal messengers to humanity (I think we all are messengers in some way but that's another subject) we could consider that RID may be a form of narcissistic personality disorder.

I've certainly met enough people who were clearly insane, and often locked up, who had religious delusions. I used to enjoy conversations about who was "top God" among the patients at my former job.

Absaroka

[Lydia]

There is something wrong here. My memory of anatomy (admittedly from far back) tells me that the glossopharygeal nerve does not extend back any farther that the diaphragm area - certainly not to the gluteus maximus. I have a strange feeling that this was a joke or hoax.

There is something else: the lacy undergarments must be incredibly tight and snug to cause such an effect.

Frankly, I don't believe it. Our legs are being pulled.

Hugs from a skeptic,

Lydia

[CJ]

Heh. Smoked out by a fellow skeptic. I wasn't just pulling your legs, Lydia, I was pulling your lacy-topped stockings, too!

As to the connection between the gluteus maximus and the glossopharyngeal nerve, it, of course, does not exist (well, except maybe in those who are in the habit of talking out their arses... ).

Love,
CJ

[Lydia]

You tugged on my lacy tops so hard that I was speechless!!!

Lydia