Willing to do what others won't: Narcissism, risk-taking, and social approval

Abstract

Prior research suggests that narcissism is positively associated with risk-taking behavior (e.g., gambling). The present study sought to test a contextual factor that may moderate this association. Specifically, we hypothesized that, because narcissists are generally less concerned with whether others approve of their behavior, narcissism would be more strongly associated with risk-taking when the risk-taking behaviors are socially disapproved of (e.g., illegal activity). We tested this by reanalyzing a previously published dataset (N == 605; Foster, Shenesey, & Goff, 2009) that contains measures of narcisissm and likelihood of engaging in various risk-taking behaviors. We added to these data an independent set of ratings that assessed to what extent each risk-taking behavior was socially approved. Consistent with out hypothesis, narcissism was more strongly linked to risk-taking behaviors that were socially disapproved of than behaviors that were socially approved, although the moderation effect was weak. A test of a moderated mediation suggest that narcissists discount social disapproval from perceptions of benefits derived from risk-taking less than others, which might account for narcissists higher willingness to engage in socially diapproved of risk-taking behaviors.