2023-09-05 14:08:00
Do men like their physical appearance more than women? This is what shows an Ifop/Flashs poll unveiled in June 2023. In it, 60% of women say they don’t like their bodies, compared to only 33% of men. This difference is explained by the fact that women are more subject to social injunctions. The latter being difficult, even impossible to reach, they are easily found complexed by their physique.
Beyond this social reason, are men really more narcissistic than women? A recent study claims that there is a scientific reason for this. Indeed, researchers from the University of Warsaw (Poland) have discovered that in men, narcissism would be associated with high levels of testosterone. Their results were published on August 18, 2023 in the journal APS (Association for Psychological Science).
For this study, the researchers followed 283 Polish men, average age 22. The researchers took blood samples from each of the participants to assess their testosterone levels. All blood samples were taken between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The volunteers had to be on an empty stomach for 24 hours, that is to say that during this period they should not have eaten or nor consumed alcohol, tobacco, or drugs containing caffeine. The practice of a sports activity was also prohibited 24 hours before the blood test.
In addition to this blood sample, the volunteers had to complete questionnaires designed to be able to measure their degree of narcissism. Researchers have distinguished two types of narcissism. They detail:the agent (i.e. the tendency to self-promotion in order to gain the admiration and social influence of others) and the antagonist (i.e. a reactive strategy used to restore a threatened status). their testosterone level. For this, they had to be on a scale of 1 to 25 (1 being very low and 25 being very high) compared to other men.
Narcissism: it is linked to hormones in men
The results showed that testosterone levels were linked to narcissism. “We found that pronounced narcissism in men is associated with elevated testosterone levels,” says study director Marcin Zajenkowski.
Not only were high testosterone levels linked to strong narcissism, but the men in question also had aware that they had high testosterone levels. “We have proven that those with greater narcissism assess their testosterone levels at higher levels than others“, details the researcher.
Thus, narcissism would not be as simple as it seems, there would be several dimensions to take into account. “I have studied narcissism for several years. Recent findings have indicated that narcissism might be a multidimensional construct“, explains the author of the study.
Women: the reproductive hormone might also be linked to narcissism?
If the researchers welcome these first results, they only concern men. Indeed, testosterone is the male reproductive hormone. Thus, women have but in very small quantities. It is therefore not enough to be linked to narcissism. In women, the reproductive hormone is l’estradiol. It’s regarding “main estrogen secreted by the ovaries of women of childbearing age“, details Inserm.
Thus, the researchers believe that it might be interesting to study a possible link between narcissism and estradiol, to see if the effect is the same as for men and testosterone. “Future studies may examine whether estradiol (the female reproductive hormone) is also associated with narcissism”, concludes the author.
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