Are you a narcissist? 10 narcissistic traits you probably have and don’t even know it

Are you a narcissist? Perhaps, the little voice in your head will loudly scream a firm ‘NO!’

However, this may be further from the truth than you imagine.

In general, narcissists are self-absorbed creatures whose minds are ‘preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, and beauty’, as described by Mayo Clinic. Individuals who show vivid signs of narcissistic personalities cannot live without being admired and believe it is their right to take advantage of others whenever they please. Their controlling nature often turns them into manipulators who play with others’ feelings in order to get exactly what they want.

Interestingly, many people have no idea they are narcissists. Are you one of those people?

Here are 10 signs you might be a narcissist and don’t even know it: 

1. You enjoy telling people what to do.

One of the main characteristics of narcissists is that they feel at their best when they are in a leading position and have the actual right to tell others what to do. You may be a natural-born leader, but you may also be a narcissist. This is something you should probably think about.

2. You prefer to be the speaker rather than the listener. 

Instead of listening to others boring you with their dull stories, you prefer to tell them all about the awesome things that had just happened to you. Somehow, you end up dominating in most of the conversations you are involved in. But that doesn’t bother you because you love being the center of attention anyway.

3. You feel that being mean to people is necessary. 

Sometimes, after someone has offended you or hurt your feelings, you believe that being mean to them is justified. So, you allow yourself to cross some serious boundaries in order to pay back for the wrongdoing you have been a victim of. But in many cases, you later realize that the person you were mean to did nothing to deserve such a toxic treatment.

4. You think you don’t get the recognition you deserve.

After all the effort you have put into being the best at everything, people constantly fail to appreciate you. Or at least, that’s what you are convinced of. Narcissists usually believe they are better than everyone else, and they deserve to be put on a pedestal for their tremendous achievements.

5. You constantly roll your eyes at the stupidity of others.

‘Seriously, why is everyone so stupid?!’ This thought crosses your mind at least once a day, accompanied by a serious eye-roll. Maybe you are really surrounded by idiots, but the bigger chances are that you are simply a know-it-all narcissist with a strong sense of superiority. As such, getting along with other people seems quite annoying because you feel like everyone around you is intellectually challenged.

6. You carefully choose your friends so you can look cool.

Whenever you’re about to make friends, one of the main things you consider is the way a certain person would affect your image. Perhaps, you go for people with high social status. You might also prefer to be in the company of academicians and bookworms so you can look intelligent as well. In other words, you see your friends’ prestige not as something you admire, but as something that helps you improve your own persona.

7. You see nothing wrong with putting other people down.

Narcissists are good at analyzing the situations they are involved in and figuring out the best way possible to benefit from them. In case you are a narcissist, if you need to put someone down to make a good impression, you would do it without thinking twice about it. Hurting someone’s feelings is a small price to pay if it will help you obtain the admiration of the observers. Or maybe that’s what you tell yourself when you see the harsh consequences of your mean behavior.

8. You are confident in your superiority. 

There is not a force in this world that can make you doubt your righteousness. However, what makes you feel good about yourself is not that you are always right, but that others see it too. After all, what is the point of being superior if there is no one to appreciate it, right?

9. You are afraid of showing emotions.

In your mind, showing your vulnerable side to someone means showing weakness and instability. As a person who despises being seen as less than, you avoid being emotional at all costs. You prefer to bottle up your feelings, despite the inner pain this causes you. This behavior is triggered by the fear of being affected by something or someone outside of your control.

10. You constantly fall in and out of love.

You are attractive, and you know it, which is often the reason for your failed relationships. Most of the time, you blame your partners for being not fun enough, not adventurous enough, or not intelligent enough to keep you. Well, at first, you believe you are madly in love with the most perfect human being you know. But as soon as reality hits, the smallest imperfection you see in your significant other is enough to make you have a change of heart. And no matter how many times you go through this, you never consider yourself as the problem – it’s always the other person.

Did you relate to some of these signs of narcissism? Did you think of someone you know who might be a narcissist? Leave a comment let us know!