Narcissism decreases as people age from childhood through older adulthood, according to comprehensive research analyzing data from 37,247 participants across 51 longitudinal studies.
The findings reveal that all three types of narcissism—agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic—decline significantly over time, with neurotic narcissism showing the steepest drop.
The research measured agentic narcissism (feelings of grandiosity and need for admiration), antagonistic narcissism (arrogance, entitlement, and low empathy), and neurotic narcissism (emotional dysregulation and hypersensitivity). Results showed a small decline for agentic narcissism and moderate declines for both antagonistic and neurotic narcissism from ages 8 to 77.
However, there’s a crucial caveat: while absolute narcissism levels drop, individual differences remain remarkably stable. People who were more narcissistic than their peers as children tend to maintain that relative position throughout their lives. This stability persists even across decades, suggesting narcissism functions as a core personality trait rather than a temporary behavioral pattern.
“These findings have important implications given that high levels of narcissism influence people’s lives in many ways — both the lives of the narcissistic individuals themselves and, maybe even more, the lives of their families and friends,” said lead author Ulrich Orth of the University of Bern in Switzerland.
The Three Faces of Narcissism
Understanding narcissism requires recognizing its multifaceted nature. The research identified three distinct types, each with unique characteristics and developmental patterns that shape how narcissism manifests throughout life.
Agentic narcissism represents the grandiose, self-promoting aspects most people associate with narcissistic behavior. Individuals high in agentic narcissism display an inflated sense of self-importance, constantly seek admiration, and believe they’re superior to others. They often dominate conversations, exaggerate achievements, and expect special treatment. This type declined slowly with age, suggesting that the drive for recognition and status remains relatively persistent throughout life.
Antagonistic narcissism encompasses the darker, more harmful aspects of narcissistic personality. This includes arrogance, entitlement, callousness, and notably low empathy for others. People with high antagonistic narcissism often exploit relationships, show little concern for others’ feelings, and may engage in manipulative behaviors. The moderate decline in this type suggests that life experiences gradually soften these harsh edges.
Neurotic narcissism involves emotional instability combined with narcissistic traits. Individuals experience hypersensitivity to criticism, emotional dysregulation, and intense reactions to perceived slights. They may alternate between grandiose self-perception and crushing self-doubt. This type showed the steepest decline with age, indicating that emotional regulation improves significantly as people mature.
The distinction between these types helps explain why some narcissistic individuals seem to mellow with age while others maintain their self-centered worldview. Different aspects of narcissism respond differently to life experiences, relationships, and social expectations.
Stability Within Change: The Narcissism Paradox
The research reveals a fascinating paradox: narcissism decreases overall, yet individual differences remain remarkably consistent across decades. This seeming contradiction actually reflects sophisticated psychological development patterns that operate on multiple levels simultaneously.
Consider two children, both age 8, where one scores higher on narcissism measures than the other. Fast-forward to age 50, and both individuals will likely show lower narcissism scores than they had as children. However, the person who was more narcissistic at age 8 will probably still score higher than their peer at age 50, maintaining their relative position in the narcissism hierarchy.
This stability suggests that narcissism represents a fundamental personality dimension rather than a simple behavioral phase. The research found rank-order stability values of .73 for agentic narcissism, .68 for antagonistic narcissism, and .60 for neurotic narcissism over an average time lag of 11.42 years. These correlations indicate strong consistency in individual differences across time.
The stability decreases as time intervals increase, but even across very long periods, correlations remain substantial. For agentic narcissism, the correlation approaches .62 across extended time periods, while antagonistic narcissism stabilizes around .52, and neurotic narcissism levels off at .33. This pattern suggests that some aspects of narcissism are more malleable than others.
But Here’s What Everyone Gets Wrong About Narcissism and Age
The popular narrative suggests that narcissism is a young person’s problem—that millennials and Gen Z are uniquely self-absorbed compared to previous generations. Social media gets blamed for creating unprecedented levels of narcissistic behavior, and older generations often dismiss younger people as inherently more self-centered.
This narrative is fundamentally flawed. The research reveals that narcissism decline isn’t a recent phenomenon or a generational correction. Instead, it’s a universal developmental pattern that has likely operated across cultures and time periods for millennia.
The study’s analysis controlled for birth cohort effects, meaning that the narcissism decline occurs regardless of when people were born. Someone born in 1950 showed the same pattern of narcissism decline as someone born in 1980 or 2000. This suggests that the developmental trajectory from higher to lower narcissism represents a fundamental aspect of human psychological maturation.
Moreover, the research challenges the assumption that modern technology and social media have created uniquely narcissistic generations. While these platforms may provide new outlets for narcissistic expression, they don’t appear to alter the basic developmental pattern. Young people today aren’t more narcissistic than young people throughout history—they’re simply at a different life stage where higher narcissism is developmentally normal.
This reframing has profound implications for how we understand generational differences, workplace dynamics, and social change. Rather than viewing narcissism as a character flaw or generational problem, we might better understand it as a natural developmental phase that most people gradually outgrow.
The Biological and Social Architecture of Narcissism Decline
The consistent pattern of narcissism decline across cultures and time periods suggests deep biological and social mechanisms driving this developmental trajectory. Multiple factors likely contribute to this universal pattern of psychological maturation.
Neurobiological development plays a crucial role. The human brain doesn’t fully mature until the mid-twenties, with the prefrontal cortex—responsible for executive function, impulse control, and perspective-taking—being among the last regions to develop. As this area matures, individuals become better at regulating emotions, considering others’ perspectives, and making decisions based on long-term consequences rather than immediate gratification.
Social role transitions also contribute significantly to narcissism decline. As people age, they typically assume roles that require considering others’ needs: romantic partners, parents, employees, community members. These roles provide constant feedback about the importance of cooperation, empathy, and social responsibility. The demands of maintaining relationships and meeting social expectations naturally discourage narcissistic behaviors.
Life experience serves as a powerful teacher. Narcissistic strategies that might work in childhood or adolescence—demanding attention, exaggerating achievements, expecting special treatment—become increasingly ineffective in adult contexts. Reality provides constant feedback that forces individuals to develop more mature coping strategies and social skills.
Hormonal changes may also influence narcissism decline. Testosterone levels, associated with dominance-seeking and aggressive behaviors, naturally decrease with age in both men and women. This biological shift may contribute to reduced antagonistic narcissism and increased cooperativeness over time.
The Relationship Impact: How Narcissism Affects Social Connections
The research emphasizes that narcissism’s impact extends far beyond the individual, affecting families, friends, and broader social networks. Understanding these ripple effects helps explain why narcissism decline represents such an important developmental achievement.
Romantic relationships bear the brunt of narcissistic behavior. Partners of highly narcissistic individuals often experience emotional exhaustion, diminished self-worth, and relationship dissatisfaction. Narcissistic partners may struggle with empathy, exploit their romantic relationships, and show little genuine interest in their partner’s needs or experiences.
Parenting relationships become particularly complex when narcissistic traits are involved. Narcissistic parents may view their children as extensions of themselves, sources of admiration, or competitors for attention. This can lead to inconsistent parenting, emotional neglect, or excessive pressure on children to achieve in ways that reflect well on the parent.
Workplace dynamics suffer when narcissistic individuals hold positions of authority or influence. They may take credit for others’ work, show little concern for employee wellbeing, and make decisions based on personal glory rather than organizational success. Colleagues often report feeling undervalued, manipulated, or emotionally drained by narcissistic coworkers.
Friendships with highly narcissistic individuals tend to be one-sided affairs. The narcissistic person may dominate conversations, show little interest in others’ experiences, and expect constant validation without reciprocating emotional support. These relationships often feel exhausting and unfulfilling for the non-narcissistic party.
The gradual decline in narcissism over time means that these negative relationship patterns often improve with age. As individuals develop greater empathy, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking abilities, their capacity for healthy relationships increases dramatically.
Cultural Variations and Future Research Directions
The current research provides a solid foundation for understanding narcissism development, but important questions remain about cultural variations and underlying mechanisms. Most studies analyzed data from Western, predominantly white populations, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of narcissism across diverse cultural contexts.
Cultural values likely influence both narcissism expression and developmental trajectories. Collectivistic cultures that emphasize group harmony and interdependence might show different patterns compared to individualistic cultures that celebrate personal achievement and self-promotion. Future research should explore whether narcissism decline occurs universally or varies across cultural contexts.
Socioeconomic factors also deserve investigation. Economic stress, educational opportunities, and social mobility may all influence narcissism development. Individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds may experience varying pressures and opportunities that shape their narcissistic tendencies over time.
Historical context represents another important research direction. While the current study controlled for birth cohort effects, major historical events—wars, economic depressions, technological revolutions—might influence narcissism development patterns. Understanding these historical influences could provide insights into how social conditions shape personality development.
Intervention possibilities emerge from understanding narcissism decline mechanisms. If we can identify what drives this natural developmental process, we might develop interventions to accelerate healthy narcissism reduction or prevent problematic narcissistic patterns from becoming entrenched.
The Therapeutic Implications: Hope for Change
The research findings offer significant hope for individuals struggling with narcissistic tendencies and their loved ones. The natural decline in narcissism over time suggests that change is not only possible but inevitable for most people.
Therapeutic interventions can potentially accelerate the natural narcissism decline process. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and other approaches that focus on empathy development, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking skills may help individuals overcome narcissistic patterns more quickly than might occur naturally.
Self-awareness represents a crucial first step. Understanding that narcissistic tendencies typically decrease with age can help individuals recognize their own patterns and work consciously toward change. This knowledge can also help family members and friends maintain hope during difficult periods.
Relationship healing becomes possible as narcissism declines. Individuals who damaged relationships through narcissistic behavior may find opportunities to rebuild trust and connection as they develop greater empathy and emotional maturity. This process requires patience and genuine commitment to change, but the research suggests it’s achievable for most people.
Prevention strategies might focus on helping young people develop healthy self-esteem and social skills that reduce the likelihood of problematic narcissistic patterns becoming entrenched. Early intervention during adolescence and young adulthood, when narcissism levels are naturally higher, could prevent long-term relationship and social difficulties.
The Broader Implications for Society
Understanding narcissism decline has far-reaching implications for how we structure society, design institutions, and manage intergenerational relationships. This knowledge can inform everything from workplace policies to educational approaches to family dynamics.
Workplace management might benefit from understanding that younger employees aren’t inherently more narcissistic than older ones—they’re simply at a different developmental stage. This perspective could lead to more patient, developmental approaches to leadership training and career development.
Educational systems could incorporate explicit training in empathy, perspective-taking, and emotional regulation to support the natural narcissism decline process. Rather than simply expecting young people to “grow out of” self-centered behaviors, schools could actively teach skills that facilitate healthy psychological development.
Family dynamics might improve with understanding that narcissistic behaviors in adolescents and young adults often represent temporary developmental phases rather than permanent character flaws. This knowledge could help parents maintain supportive relationships while setting appropriate boundaries.
Social policy could consider how different life stages require different types of support and intervention. Young adults might benefit from programs that teach relationship skills and emotional regulation, while older adults might need support maintaining the social connections that reinforce their psychological maturity.
Conclusion: The Natural Wisdom of Aging
The research on narcissism decline reveals one of psychology’s most encouraging findings: people naturally become more empathetic, emotionally regulated, and socially skilled as they age. This isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s a documented developmental pattern supported by decades of research across thousands of individuals.
This natural progression toward greater psychological maturity offers hope for individuals struggling with narcissistic tendencies and their loved ones. It suggests that patience, understanding, and appropriate support can facilitate positive change over time.
The findings also challenge popular narratives about generational differences and social media’s impact on personality development. Rather than viewing narcissism as a modern epidemic, we might better understand it as a natural developmental phase that most people successfully navigate.
Perhaps most importantly, the research reminds us that human beings possess an inherent capacity for growth and change. The same psychological mechanisms that drive narcissism decline likely contribute to other positive developmental changes throughout life. This suggests that our capacity for empathy, wisdom, and social connection continues expanding as we age.
The next time you encounter someone displaying narcissistic behaviors—whether in yourself or others—remember that these patterns represent temporary developmental phases rather than permanent character flaws. Time, experience, and the natural wisdom of aging are powerful forces for positive change. The research confirms what many have long suspected: people really do become wiser, kinder, and more mature as they journey through life.
