Illuminating research reveals the surprising way people become narcissists — and whether it’s reversible
German researchers have found that narcissism is primarily influenced by genetics rather than environmental factors, challenging the long-held belief that parenting styles are responsible. The study, involving over 6,700 participants from twin families, revealed that similarities in narcissism between parents and children are almost entirely due to shared DNA. This discovery suggests a need for rethinking current therapeutic approaches to narcissism and could influence how it's addressed in clinical, professional, and personal settings.
- ▪Narcissism is largely determined by genetics, not upbringing, according to a study in Social Psychological and Personality Science.
- ▪The research analyzed data from 1,300 twin families, totaling 6,715 participants, including parents, siblings, and partners.
- ▪Traditional theories suggesting narcissism stems from cold or inconsistent parenting were contradicted by the findings, which show genetics drive the trait.
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Science Illuminating research reveals the surprising way people become narcissists — and whether it’s reversible By Ben Cost Published May 1, 2026, 2:32 p.m. ET German scientists have found that narcissism is largely determined by people's genes rather than their environment. nicoletaionescu - stock.adobe.com It seems that a—holes are born, not made. Groundbreaking data suggest that narcissism may be determined more by people’s genes than their environment, as is popularly believed, per a study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. “We found that parents’ and children’s narcissism scores were correlated, but this association was entirely genetically driven,” declared the authors of the study.
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