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Admit it. You take "selfies." You're vain and want everyone to think you're always having a great time, right?  But now a new study has found that the way that those who take and share selfies are viewed by others has changed, according to newswise.com. Selfies have emerged as a tremendous phenomenon in the culture of people around the world, and this group of friends is constantly intrigued with researching aspects of what is not only popular but what has become ingrained into the fabric of everyday lives. What they focused on for this research was the motivation behind taking and sharing selfies, and what they found was somewhat surprising. Those in society who do not frequently take and share selfies are thought to look at those who do as having a strong narcissistic personality. But researchers, all of whom earned their master’s degrees from Brigham Young University, found otherwise. While they found narcissistic qualities in pretty much all ...

Here's your question for today: are you a jerk ? Jerk self-knowledge is hard to come by, says Eric Schwitzgebel, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, according to newswise.com. Schwitzgebel posited a Theory of Jerks in Aeon Magazine in 2014 and has revisited the topic a few times in his blog, “The Splintered Mind.” He continues that exploration this month in an article titled “How to Tell If You’re a Jerk,” and today blogged a five-question quiz to help determine personal levels of what he refers to as “jerkitude.” Schwitzgebel defines a jerk as “someone who culpably fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around him, treating them as tools to be manipulated or fools to be dealt with rather than as moral and epistemic (validated) peers. The jerk faces special obstacles to self-knowledge of his moral character, partly because of his disregard of the opinions of people who could give him useful critical feedback.” Hmm, sound...

This should probably come as no surprise.  But men are more narcissistic than women. I suspect this is true because women who think highly of themselves are often thought of as vain and self-centered while men who do, aren't. When was the last time someone called George Clooney in love with himself? With three decades of data from more than 475,000 participants, a new study from the University at Buffalo School of Management reveals that men, on average, are more narcissistic than women, according to newswise.com.  “Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression,” says lead author Emily Grijalva, PhD, assistant professor of organization and human resources in the UB School of Management. But at the same time, narcissism is also shown to boost self-esteem, emotional stability and the tendency to emerge as a leader. Think of the people you k...

Are you a narcissist ?  Have someone ask you that question. Newswise.com reports that a new study has found that, if you are, you will, duh, willingly admit it. “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. “People who are narcissists are almost proud of the fact. You can ask them directly because they don’t see narcissism as a negative quality – they believe they are superior to other people and are fine." But that's not always a good thing.  Understanding narcissism has many implications for society that extend beyond the impact on the individual narcissist’s life, adds Sara Konrath of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (formerly of the University of Michigan).   “For example, narcissistic people have low empathy, and empathy is one key mo...

I don't know which way you lean, but just about anyone can see the ass NJ Gov. Chris Christie is making of himself.  Don't know whether Bridgegate is true (I think it is), but some say his very narcissism  -- though it's sure hurting him now -- is also what's made him a great leader, according to newswise.com. And here's the upshot: " Though narcissists were more likely to attain leadership positions, there was no direct relationship between narcissism and leaders' success." Researchers reviewed existing literature and aggregated past and current research to come up with the answer. "Our findings are pretty clear that the answer to the question as to whether narcissism is good or bad is that it is neither. It's best in moderation," said Emily Grijalva of the University of Illinois, the lead author of the study, at newswise.com. "With too little, a leader can be viewed as insecure or hesitant, but if you're too high on narci...