Narcissists make a great first impression and gain popularity fast in a new group. However, after some time, they are replaced in the best-liked position by empathic persons with high emotional intelligence - demonstrated an international team of scientists.
The study aiming to show the popularity layout of newly emerging groups - for example among first year students of Cracow universities - has been conducted by an international team of scientists, coordinated by Dr Anna Czarna from the Institute of Applied Psychology at the Jagiellonian University.
Analysis results were unambiguous. In the initial period of group\'s existence, the most popular students were those who drew attention to themselves, emphasised their achievements, talked about their experiences. The researchers classified such persons as narcissistic. Narcissists made a great first impression.
However, narcissists did not enjoy their popularity for too long. With the passing of months, their place was taken by people with a low level of narcissism and a high level of emotional intelligence. They were the ones who made friends and built lasting connections. "People with high levels of emotional intelligence were not particularly popular at the beginning of acquaintance, but their advantage in the ability to make friends and win people over would reveal itself more and more over time" - commented Dr. Anna Czarna. "The decisive factors were their cognitive abilities, the ability to understand other people . Their success could result from empathic, appropriate reactions to others, the ability to provide support when someone needs it. Our study lasted for three months so the difference we have seen must have happened during that time" - Dr. Czarna told PAP.
She noted, however, that emotional intelligence does not have to be clearly positive trait because it can be used for evil. The study result does not mean either that narcissistic people have lower levels of emotional intelligence.
In the study, the researchers used a special test of emotional intelligence, developed by Dr. Magdalena Śmieja from the Institute of Psychology. It is based on the concept of another member of the research group - Prof. Peter Salovey of Yale University. Salovey created the theory and method of measuring intelligence, which allows to separate true ability to understand the emotional processes from unsubstantiated bragging that one has such ability.
In their study, the researchers analysed the behaviour and views of more than 270 students from 15 real peer groups. Patients filled out a questionnaire measuring narcissism and self-esteem, took an emotional intelligence test and named the individuals in their group that they liked the most. Scientists obtained the first data at the beginning of the semester, when the subjects did not know each other. Another measurement followed after three months, when the students already had more information about their colleagues.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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