Narcissists Watch Too Much Porn: Study

Study finds a link between narcissism and heavy viewing of internet pornography.

Narcissism is a psychological trait categorized by vanity or excessive admiration of one's own physical and mental qualities. Psychologists consider narcissism as a personality disorder that makes individuals remain fascinated by their power, wealth and vanity. Narcissists are usually unaware of the damages they are inflicting on self and others by being engrossed in themselves and lacking empathy. Researchers from the University of Houston at Clear Lake discovered that narcissistic people watch too much online pornography. They hold that viewing pornography for longer durations also turns people narcissistic.  

For the study experts surveyed certain number of participants, majority of them was heterosexual women aged between 18 and 61, to note their levels of self-absorption and frequency of viewing porn on the internet.

It was observed that higher the rate of pornography use, higher the narcissistic attitude. This behavior was seen only among female participants. Past studies postulate narcissist engage less in sexual activities with their partners and mostly prefer to watch pornography or masturbate. The inclination for digital pornography to achieve arousal was explained as a narcissists' need to take control over sex and make their escapades more fulfilling.

"The use of internet pornography offers this control, " write the authors citing that self-obsessed porn viewer has more options on the internet to choose the image of the person that he or she mostly admires as an ideal sexual imagery, reports the New York Magazine.

More information is available online in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.

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