Study Sheds Light on Narcissism’s Impact on Romantic Burnout

IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME ME ME –

March 20, 2024 – Narcissism, which involves a strong focus on oneself, can lead to problems in how people connect with their partners. The research breaks down narcissism into two main types: grandiose (where people are very confident and seek attention) and vulnerable (where people are sensitive and insecure).

These traits can make romantic relationships challenging because they affect how people interact with their partners. One of the main issues studied is how these narcissistic traits affect the balance of power in a relationship. People with high levels of narcissism often want to be in control, which can create tension and problems in their relationships.

In this work, Ali Mohammad Beigi and Virgil Zeigler-Hill recruited 1802 participants from the Iranian community, consisting of 668 heterosexual couples who volunteered through flyers and social media postings. The criteria for participation included being 18 or older and in a committed romantic relationship for at least one year. Data was collected from July 2020 to June 2021 using online self-report questionnaires translated into Persian through a back-translation process. Each partner was asked to respond separately to ensure privacy and independence of responses.