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Psychologist issues warning over key facial feature that could mean someone is a narcissist

Psychologist issues warning over key facial feature that could mean someone is a narcissist

Narcissists could have it written all over their face without even realising

We've all had the displeasure of dealing with a narcissist one time or another; whether it was your boss, your friend or even your partner.

With an unreasonably high sense of self importance, a tendency to attention seek and a habit of belittling or bullying others, you'd think these hallmark traits confirm all you need to know.

But a psychologist has revealed that you might not have to waste time and wait around for an egomaniac to reveal their true selves - as their face might be dropping a major hint all along.

Dr Ramani Durvasula explained that there is a certain facial feature which may indicate that someone is a narcissist.

Research found that a lot of people who suffer from the personality disorder seem to have a large similarity in an aspect of their appearance.

And shockingly, it seems to be those who we have serious brow envy over.

That's right - people who have dark, bold and well-defined eyebrows could be hiding their narcissistic tendencies right under your nose.

Of course, some people are naturally blessed with bold brows and others just enjoy getting them done but the 2018 study found that individuals who take their self-love overboard are more likely to invest time and money into grooming their eyebrows in the hopes of achieving a more striking appearance.

It found that perfect eyebrows were a marker of grandiose narcissists, which is a form of narcissism characterised by an excessive need for recognition which makes people act as though they are superior to others.

Experts at the University of Toronto rounded up a group who filled in a self-assessment narcissistic personality inventory test to diagnose the disorder, before taking photographs of them.

A study found that a certain facial feature drops a major hint that someone could be a narcissist.
Getty Stock Photo

These snaps were then cropped so that only their eyebrows were visible and then shown to a separate group to see if they could pick up on any common traits.

The second group rated the images for certain qualities, such as grooming, distinctiveness and femininity.

Results showed that it was the distinctiveness of certain people's eyebrows - such as the thickness and density of them - which played a pivotal role in helping others to correctly identify them as more narcissistic.

The study said: "Because grandiose narcissists strongly desire recognition and admiration, they seek to maintain distinct eyebrows to facilitate others' ability to notice, recognize and remember them, thereby increasing their likability and reinforcing their overly positive self-views."

And because this feature is renowned as a way to rate someone's attractiveness, it 'makes sense that narcissists might selectively alter their brows to appear more attractive.'

Perfectly groomed eyebrows could be an indicator of narcissism.
Getty Stock Photo

Experts said this could be because narcissists tend to want to have a feature which is recognisable and aesthetically pleasing, as they are keen to look as good as possible.

Los Angeles based psychologist Dr Durvasula told USA Today: "Narcissistic people care deeply about their appearance.

"They'd probably spend more on it - more time, more money - but not everyone who takes care of their eyebrows, obviously, by any stretch of the imagination, is narcissistic."

She added: "One of the big problems with narcissism is a lot of people think it's arrogance or being stuck up or just being selfish, when in fact it's a much more complicated issue.

"If you're only looking at it from the arrogant, superficial perspective, a person who has those really well-coiffed eyebrows may sort of seem more narcissistic."

Dr Miranda Giacomin also chimed in, saying that eyebrows 'facilitate facial recognition' and that narcissists might 'maintain distinct, thick, and dense brows to enhance recognition, which they are motivated to attain'.

Basically, keep an eye on those Cara Delevingne lookalikes.

Featured Image Credit: Lionsgate/20th Century Fox

Topics: Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships

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