It's all a matter of time: Narcissism begins fading away after landing first job
Changes in the levels of narcissism are lifelong, and they don't stop at any certain age.
By PTI |
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According to the researchers, the greatest impetus for declining narcissism was landing the first job. (Representative image)
WASHINGTON: In the longest study conducted of its kind, researchers have found that narcissism declines over people's lifetime, especially after landing the first job.
The researchers, including those from Michigan State University in the US, studied nearly 750 people to see how narcissism changed from age 13 to 70.
The results of the study, published in the journal Psychology and Aging, noted that qualities associated with narcissism such as being full of oneself, expressing sensitivity to criticism, and imposing one's opinion on others, decline over a person's lifetime and with age.
It said some character traits, such as having high aspirations for oneself, increased with age.
"There are things that happen in life that can shake people a little bit and force them to adapt their narcissistic qualities," said study co-author William Chopik from MSU.
"As you age, you form new relationships, have new experiences, start a family and so on. All of these factors make someone realise that it's not 'all about them.' And, the older you get, the more you think about the world that you may leave behind," Chopik said.
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Qualities associated with narcissism such as being full of oneself, expressing sensitivity to criticism, and imposing one's opinion on others, decline over a person's lifetime and with age. According to the researchers, the greatest impetus for declining narcissism was landing the first job.
"One thing about narcissists is that they're not open to criticism. When life happens and you're forced to accept feedback, break up with someone or have tragedy strike, you might need to adjust to understanding that you're not as awesome as you once thought," Chopik said.
"There's a sense in which narcissists start to realise that being the way they are isn't smart if they want to have friends or meaningful relationships," he added.
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The researchers said the trait was fastest-changing among young adults.
They said, contrary to popular belief, changes in the levels of narcissism are lifelong, and they don't stop at any certain age or stage in life.
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"One of the most surprising findings was that - also contrary to what many people think - individuals who were born earlier in the century started off with higher levels of hyper-sensitivity, or the type of narcissism where people are full of themselves, as well as willfulness, which is the tendency to impose opinions on others," Chopik said.
He said much data isn't available on older generations.
"But now that Baby Boomers are aging into that phase of life, it's a huge part of the population that we need to be looking at," Chopik added.
The millennials are all grown up, and now as top bosses, they have some words of wisdom to give to the next generation.
Millennials in the workforce are shaping the world around us. Take for instance the likes of Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Brian Chesky (Airbnb), Evan Spiegel (Snap) and Ben Silbermann (Pinterest). As driven by mission as money, the generation once described as lazy and entitled is aged between 36 to 38 and has risen to influential roles.
Here is the advice they would like to give to the newer generation coming into the workforce:
The millennials are all grown up, and now as top bosses, they have some words of wisdom to give to the next generation.Millennials in the workforce are shaping the world around us. Take for instance ..
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Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder, Zerodha
“Do not be seduced by designations and job titles. Instead, focus on finding work in a company with a progressive and innovation-driven culture. As a generation that has grown in an all-digital age, sustaining growth in this rapidly transforming ecosystem is not easy. Seek a mentor who complements your strengths. Do not be intimidated by other’s experience…Do not underestimate the value you bring to the workforce. Look for exponential experiences early in career — not linear ones.”
Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder, Zerodha
“Do not be seduced by designations and job titles. Instead, focus on finding work in a company with a progressive and innovation-driven culture. As a generation th..
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Rashmi Daga, Founder, FreshMenu
“My advice to Gen Z employees would be to spend time with work colleagues and build longlasting relationships. This will help them build a positive environment at work and a great learning opportunity with easy exchange of ideas. They could get an opportunity to learn across functions and be involved in upcoming cross-team projects. Being focussed on every learning opportunity would be the fastest path to progress for a leadership role.”.
Rashmi Daga, Founder, FreshMenu
“My advice to Gen Z employees would be to spend time with work colleagues and build longlasting relationships. This will help them build a positive environment at wor..
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Ritesh Agarwal, Founder, OYO Hotels and Homes
“Having set out on my entrepreneurial journey at a young age, the words of my mentor, Peter Thiel, have always stuck with me. He wanted us to focus on learning by doing. Today, OYO is driven by millennials and Gen Z, and I keep telling them how important it is to be passionate about everything you do and the importance of learning by doing. Patience, perseverance and grit are the other qualities that allow you to be focused and seize each opportunity that comes your way.”
Ritesh Agarwal, Founder, OYO Hotels and Homes
“Having set out on my entrepreneurial journey at a young age, the words of my mentor, Peter Thiel, have always stuck with me. He wanted us to focus on l..
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Ameera Shah, MD, Metropolis Healthcare
“Absorb and learn as much as you can. I did that during my internships. I felt that I should be going beyond my area of learning. If I was put in one division, I was rarely found there. I would be all over the company, learning everyone’s jobs. I am curious about how things work and just learning from everybody is very important.”
Ameera Shah, MD, Metropolis Healthcare
“Absorb and learn as much as you can. I did that during my internships. I felt that I should be going beyond my area of learning. If I was put in one division,..
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Archit Gupta, Founder, ClearTax
“Gen Z is great at communication, storytelling and are fearless in their choices. They should focus on developing fundamental deep skill sets early on like Patrick and John Collison. They are the founders of Stripe [an online payment company] — who are Gen Z and who developed a deep skill set in tech in their teens. Also [Generation Z should] continue the millennial trend of starting companies.”
Archit Gupta, Founder, ClearTax
“Gen Z is great at communication, storytelling and are fearless in their choices. They should focus on developing fundamental deep skill sets early on like Patrick an..
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Parth Jindal, MD, JSW Cement
“Today, it’s easy to get disillusioned and think of switching jobs. I see that a lot in people who are 24 years and under. They want a fast-paced job. [But] I think for you to enjoy or excel in any job, you must give it time. You have to be there for at least two to three years to actually get a hold of things, to go deep into the role before deciding to move on. Whether it’s manufacturing or a startup, an established organisation or a new one – any job is equally exciting and one should actually think about how they can contribute to that role or to that organisation rather than thinking, ‘Oh, this is boring, I want to move on. I want to do something cool’. Only when you understand a subject properly, can you contribute.”
Parth Jindal, MD, JSW Cement
“Today, it’s easy to get disillusioned and think of switching jobs. I see that a lot in people who are 24 years and under. They want a fast-paced job. [But] I think for ..
