Psychologists have used a 40-question test to diagnose the condition of narcissism, a syndrome of extreme self-regard and lack of empathy for others. A study has determined, though, that it is possible to diagnose narcissism by asking the subject only one question. And that question is. . . .
“Are you a narcissist?”
From Rachel Feltman, You only need a one-question test to identify a narcissist – The Washington Post:
To find a narcissist, just ask them all to stand up. According to a new study (based on 11 separate experiments), the 40-question diagnostic test for narcissism can often be skipped in favor of a single, blunt question.
Are you a narcissist?
Together, the 11 experiments showed that individuals who scored high on the old evaluation were very likely to respond in the affirmative. “It’s pretty cool actually, because narcissists aren’t afraid to tell you they’re narcissistic,” said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University. “If you ask people whether they have casual sex or take drugs, they’re not likely to be honest with you. But narcissists just aren’t ashamed of their narcissism,” he said, “And they’ll tell you so.”
The results do seem like common sense: By definition, narcissists are egotistical, self-focused, and vain. It would follow that a true narcissist wouldn’t see self-absorption as something negative. And because narcissists tend to lack empathy, they’d probably have trouble understanding why a desire to put themselves first should be seen as a negative trait.
It’s great that a single question can identify people with the trait, Bushman said, because that makes it easier to research. “There are single item scales for other traits, like self-esteem for example,” Bushman said, “But the existing measure for narcissism is 40 items long.”
Here is the study.
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