narcissism predicts facial muscle reactivity during a body comparison threat: the role of personality in shaping affiliative behaviour
abstract
the facial feedback hypothesis suggests that individuals automatically activate facial
muscles that are congruent with an expresser’s facial display, which in turn results in a congruent
emotional experience within oneself. although such congruency facilitates empathy and social
bonding, susceptibility to facial feedback may depend on one’s motivation to differentiate
themselves from others who pose a threat to their well-being. such motivation may be influenced
by narcissism, a personality dimension whereby individuals experience emotion dysregulation
when faced with a threat to their identity. body image is one aspect of identity that has
implications for the study of threat given that individuals experience negative emotionality when
comparing their body to that of another person. the purpose of the program of research was to
investigate whether narcissistic tendencies influence one’s susceptibility to facial feedback
during a body comparison threat. study 1 first developed novel emotive videos that elicited a
congruent subjective emotional experience in viewers. utilizing the novel stimuli, study 2
traditionally investigated whether facial feedback could be physically modulated by activating
incongruent facial muscles. study 3 subsequently investigated whether the effect could be
modulated cognitively by way of narcissism and body comparison. although facial feedback was
not evidenced in the program, unique facets of narcissism (grandiosity, vulnerability)
differentially interacted with body comparison to predict congruent facial muscle activity in
response to happy and sad facial expressions. the findings challenge the longstanding claim that
narcissists lack empathy and suggest that such individuals are capable of affiliating with others
emotionally under specific social and emotional contexts. implications for future research into
facial feedback and narcissism are discussed in terms of motivational theories.