How to Spot a Narcissist in Under 30 Seconds

Narcissism is typically diagnosed with a 40-item questionnaire. Not something easily rolled out on a first date. Fortunately a team at the University of Michigan believe that anyone can diagnose narcissism with just one question. What’s the question?

Drum roll please…. Are you a narcissist?

Okay, it’s not quite that simple but not far off. Ideally it would be a written question phrased as follows:

“To what extent do you agree with this statement: ‘I am a narcissist.’ A little definition was added - The word ‘narcissist’ means egotistical, self-focused, and vain.” They were then asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 meaning “Not very true of me” and 7 meaning “very true of me.”

The answer to this single question gave virtually the same result as the result of the 40-item questionnaire. The reason that narcissists tend to be so honest about their narcissism is because well, if you truly believe you’re that great, why should you hide it?

So, the next time you’re wondering if someone is a narcissist, ask them!