Today is Sunday, August 28, 2022. An interesting article posted online forChip Chick by Katharina Buzcek cites new research that posits why narcissists are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories and it neatly offers insight into the psychological underpinnings of a former president. The title of the article is “New Research Finds Why Narcissists Are More Likely to Believe in Conspiracy Theories.”

“According to the Mayo Clinic, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, also known as NPD, ‘is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.'” Who would you say this description fits to a T here?

It is currently estimated that up to five percent of the population has NPD, but the exact cause of NPD has remained unknown. Experts believe that several contributing factors can lead to the development and progression of NPD – including childhood trauma, genetics, hypersensitivity to stimuli during childhood, and personality and temperament characteristics.

During the COVID pandemic, tons of conspiracies surrounding vaccinations, politics, and social change began sprouting up all over social media.

Now researchers over the last two years have been finding that people with NPD are more susceptible to falling victim to conspiracy theories and wholeheartedly believing them.

These researchers have discovered that three specific traits of people with NPD – known as neuroticism, antagonism, and agent extraversion – are the culprit.

The first feature, neuroticism, “refers to the tendency to emotionally or irrationally overreact when presented with new information.” Past research has also linked this phenomenon to relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, shame, and paranoia.

On the other hand, antagonism describes the aggression people with NPD show toward others and other opinions. This aggression is typically thought to be used as a control tactic.

The final feature, agent extraversion, also describes aggressive or assertive actions, but in a slightly different way.

This characteristic coincides more closely with self-confidence and the way people with NPD charm others.

The research team has suggested that paranoia about one’s life can lead to people with NPD being more receptive to conspiracy theories. Furthermore, when people with NPD feel the need to maintain control over their lives – especially during times of great uncertainty – they may cling to outrageous claims.

And if anyone tries to challenge these conspiracies, those with NPD will fall back on antagonism – which often only increases their own beliefs.

In general, “narcissists tend to view themselves as qualified for politics and tend to contemplate running for office. Narcissism also seems to be higher among political leaders – especially those that are populist or autocratic,” the study claims. Who does this describe perfectly for you?

The research team states that active politicians will engage more with conspiracy theories, particularly in times that challenge their power. They conclude, “This is concerning given the harmful societal consequences of conspiracy theories.”

The complete findings of this study can be found in Science Direct if you’re interested.

Now that it’s getting late, I will briefly comment on the day’s activity which consisted of Elliot and I being out almost 12 hours, as we drove to Phillipsport, in Sullivan County, to attend a family reunion at Elliot’s old bungalow colony. Leaving at about 9:30, we made our way to the George Washington Bridge where we stopped for breakfast at the Coach House Diner, in Hackensack.

We spent about 45 minutes in the diner having a cheddar cheese and bacon omelet and blueberry pancakes. Guess who had the pancakes?

We then got back on the New York State Thruway and encountered very little traffic going to our destination. We must have arrived about 12:45 p.m. and stayed until about 4:30. I would estimate there might have been about 30 to 40 people overall. I didn’t know many of the faces, I have to admit. Elliot, however, was acquainted with about 75 percent of the attendees. There must have been three generations present at the reunion. For me, it was an exceptional day. People brought their own food; we just brought some egg salad and rolls. Other attendees brought salads, desserts, and some of the guys barbecued bratwurst (I think it was that!), which I didn’t sample. In fact, I ate very little, which is unusual for me, I must confess. I must have still been satiated from breakfast. One of the pioneers there, “Laura,” was being feted for her birthday.

The trip home, though, was a total disaster, in that we encountered heavy traffic on Interstate 84, which necessitated us taking a much longer, but scenic route via 9W. We encountered pockets of dense traffic in several more junctures before arriving home about four hours later. We were supposed to have stopped for dinner, but we didn’t. We just wanted to get home to see how our 12-year-old cat was doing. Today was her birthday.

So I’m punch drunk from sitting in the car for so long. Elliot did a masterful job of getting us home safely, I must say, even though we encountered many discourteous drivers along the way. Everyone at that time was only interested in getting home as quickly as possible, so when there was a stopped car on the Harlem River Drive causing another logjam, many drivers failed to let us get around the disabled car. I was afraid this could have been the accident to end all accidents, but Elliot managed to maneuver around the car. Also, since it was dark, it’s nice to know that our highways are properly illuminated. Not!

Anyway, have a good week.

Stay safe and be well.