10 Signs You’re a Narcissist & Don’t Even Know it

I always seem to end up analyzing myself with these online personality tests. How about you?

Here's an interesting one. According to an article by Yahoo and Business Insider, here are a few signs you could be a narcissist and don't even really know it. Let's see how we do.

First of all, narcissistic personality disorder is defined as the lack of empathy for other people, and a strong need for admiration, according to Psychology Today.

This list isn't intended to be diagnostic, but it can give you a good idea of whether you or someone you know might be a narcissist.

1. You are a bad sport
Some narcissists are bullies — and one of their most troublesome traits is their tendency to be a sore loser and a sore winner.

For example, when they lose in a sports match, narcissistic people might try to humiliate the referee. When they win, they might gloat excessively or act abusively to the losing party.

2. You constantly feel under appreciated
The kind of people labeled "grandiose" narcissists always hold a grievance against the world.

Those with narcissistic behavior will typically feel entitled to something better and think they're not getting the recognition they deserve from others.

3. You think everyone else is stupid
Many narcissists are know-it-alls, and have a hard time getting along with coworkers and friends because they refuse to believe they could possibly be wrong about anything.

These narcissists walk around with a marked sense of superiority to others and have a "my way or the highway" approach to decision-making.

4. You really like to swear at people
Psychologists from Washington University in St. Louis found in a study that subjects who scored higher in narcissism are argumentative and curse more than their modest counterparts.

They also tend to use more sexually explicit language.

5. You are a serial romantic
Another group of narcissists are called "seductive."

These people with narcissistic traits fall in and out of love quickly and easily, often with people they don't know very well. They think their partner is absolutely perfect — a complement to their own perfection — until reality sets in, when they realize their partner is flawed and end the relationship.

6. You are likely young and male, and maybe an entertainer
Psychologist Frederick Stinson found after many interviews, that men tend to be more narcissistic than women across their lifespans.

Narcissism is believed to peak during adolescence and decline with age.

7. You're more attractive than other people — or at least you think you are
Narcissists are generally rated as more stylish and physically attractive.

However, this isn't always the case. According to a 2008 study, narcissists rated themselves highly in both looks and intelligence, but when they took IQ tests, the results were average. When their peers were asked to rate their narcissist friends on looks, the results were lower than what the narcissists gave themselves.

8. Instead of listening, you just wait to speak
A psychologist at the University of Texas in Austin found that narcissists typically prefer to keep the conversation centered on themselves, "making exaggerated hand movements, talking loudly, and showing disinterest by 'glazing over' when others speak."

9. You always have to be in control
Just as narcissists hate to talk about their feelings, "they can't stand to be at the mercy of other people's preferences. It reminds them that they aren't invulnerable or completely independent — that, in fact, they might have to ask for what they want — and even worse, people may not feel like meeting the request."

This is why they can be controlling without getting angry. In the case of romantic relationships, narcissists control people with disapproving glances, calls to change plans, and chronic lateness. This allows narcissists to undermine other people's ability to make choices. By doing that, narcissists maintain their sense of total autonomy — which they so desperately need.

10. You put some people on pedestals / You like to put other people down
The logic goes like this: "If I find someone perfect to be close to, maybe some of their perfection will rub off on me, and I'll become perfect by association."

With that ideal in mind, narcissists cozy up to people they find perfect — be it a colleague or a crush — and then get really disappointed when that person isn't as impeccable as they imagined.

For a narcissist, everything has to be perfect.

Narcissistic people intentionally put down others in order to maintain a high positive image of themselves.

This also explains why narcissists typically maintain only weak relationships.

Source: Yahoo and Business Insider