The term “narcissist” gets tossed around in everyday conversation quite frequently. You might use it to describe that colleague who constantly talks over you, or the friend who never seems interested in your life while endlessly discussing their own. While these behaviors certainly suggest self-absorption, narcissism is actually a clinical term with specific diagnostic criteria. And interestingly, according to recent research, there might be a surprising physical feature that could reveal this personality trait: eyebrows.
Business Insider recently reported on a fascinating study published in the Journal of Personality. The research, aptly titled “Eyebrows Cue Grandiose Narcissism,” discovered that individuals with thicker, denser, and more distinctive eyebrows are more likely to display narcissistic traits compared to those with thinner eyebrows.
The methodology of the study was particularly intriguing. Researchers had volunteers examine faces of people who had previously taken the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a test that measures where someone falls on the scale from subclinical to grandiose narcissism. The results were surprisingly consistent – participants could identify narcissists with remarkable accuracy.
What makes this study even more compelling is that when researchers showed volunteers only the eyebrows of subjects, with no other facial features visible, they could still correctly identify the narcissists. In perhaps the most striking phase of the experiment, researchers digitally placed “narcissist eyebrows” onto non-narcissistic individuals, and volunteers still identified these composite images as narcissists!
Throughout the study, eyebrows alone proved to be a significant indicator of perceived narcissism. Specifically, volunteers pointed to “femininity, grooming, and distinctiveness” as key factors in their identification process. The research showed that narcissists typically had eyebrows that were “darker, thicker, and more distinctive” than their non-narcissistic counterparts.
Miranda Giacomin, a lead researcher from the University of Toronto, suggests a possible explanation for these results might relate to narcissists’ desire for attention. Narcissists generally enjoy being noticed, which might influence how they maintain and style their eyebrows.
The researchers themselves noted their interest in conducting this study stemmed from wanting to explore whether narcissism could be detected from physical appearance alone, particularly facial features.
It’s important to note, however, that not everyone with distinct eyebrows is a narcissist. Thick eyebrows are currently a popular beauty trend, after all. If you’re curious about what actually defines a narcissist, counselor David Bennett provides some clarity.
According to Bennett, less than 1 percent of the general population has narcissistic personality disorder, though some research estimates suggest slightly higher numbers around 6 percent. Either way, it’s a relatively rare clinical diagnosis, which is why casually labeling people as “narcissists” can be problematic.
Bennett emphasizes that being cocky, self-centered, or occasionally treating others poorly doesn’t automatically qualify someone as having narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissism exists on a spectrum, and many successful, self-assured people who might come across as disagreeable aren’t clinically narcissistic.
“We tend to think of narcissists as causing distress for others (which they do!), but clinically diagnosed narcissists also cause a lot of distress for themselves,” Bennett explains. He describes a former client who lost both his family and business due to “choices related to the illusion that he could make no mistakes.”
For a clearer picture, Bennett summarizes that someone who “demands excessive admiration, can’t take criticism even in the face of tremendous evidence, and it is negatively impacting their lives (and has for some time)” might be a candidate for clinical narcissism.
So while the eyebrow study provides an interesting correlation, it’s certainly not a definitive diagnostic tool. And if you’re sporting thicker brows because they’re fashionable, don’t worry – your eyebrow choices alone don’t make you a narcissist!