This summer, the World Cup soccer tournament held in North America brought people from all over the world together in the U.S. It also highlighted cultural differences, from what is considered rude from one country to another to what food items are considered normal in one place but totally weird in another.
While a lot of this cultural exchange was positive, there have been some heated arguments on social media about behavioral tendencies in different countries. Interestingly, researchers from Michigan State University published a study last December in the Self and Identity journal that ranked countries in order of how narcissistic they are.
“Narcissism, which is a psychological trait that involves excessively high self-esteem but relatively low empathy, also involves an excessive positive focus on the self and a low regard for others,” the university explained in a press release. This might explain why some behavior that turns people off in one country might be perfectly acceptable in another.
You’re probably wondering at this point if I’m going to tell you what the most narcissistic countries are. Well, of course I am! Here’s the top five list:
- Germany
- Iraq
- China
- Nepal
- South Korea
This year, Germany’s insistence that it has the world’s best bread has been making the rounds on social media and it has even made headlines like this one from The Economist. Is this baked goods-related claim linked to the study findings?
In addition to the top five narcissistic countries list, the researchers compiled a list of the five least narcissistic countries:
- Serbia
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
- The Netherlands
- Denmark
To make these lists, the researchers used data provided by 45,800 respondents from 53 countries from the International Collaboration on Social and Moral Psychology: COVID-19. Narcissism was measured with the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire-Short Form, the study authors explained.
“Our findings underscore the importance of cultural context in understanding narcissism. People from countries with higher GDPs scored higher on narcissism, particularly narcissistic admiration,” they said. “Wealthier societies might foster environments where self-promotion and individual achievement are highly valued thereby encouraging narcissistic traits.”
Michigan State University noted that the U.S. was in 16th place, illustrating that societies that focus on individualism don’t necessarily promote narcissism. According to the study, individuals from more collectivistic cultures actually reported higher narcissism.
“The expression of narcissism may be more context-dependent than previously thought, with collectivistic cultures potentially fostering narcissistic traits as a means of navigating complex social hierarchies,” the researchers said.
Narcissism was also consistently higher among younger adults. That’s likely just part of growing up as people work on establishing their identity and independence.
“Being young nearly everywhere involves focusing on yourself and thinking you’re better than you are,” William Chopik, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Mighigan State University, said. “But life can be a humbling experience, and it seems to humble people in a similar way across cultures.”
Men were also more likely to fall into the narcissist category than women. According to the study authors, that is consistent with existing literature.
“In many cultures, men are socialized to be more assertive, competitive, and dominant – traits that align with the agentic aspects of narcissism,” they explained. “These societal expectations not only encourage the development of narcissistic traits in men but also provide them with more opportunities to express these traits in socially acceptable ways.”
Macy Miscikowski, co-author and research associate, said the results encourage us to think about how both cultural and biological influences can shape personality and behavior. Going forward, she said there could be studies into “how life experiences, societal expectations and economic contexts interact to shape the expression of narcissistic traits across one’s lifespan.”
