Graph: Narcissism is stressful

Narcissists, by definition, have an inflated sense of self. And while maintaining an unwaveringly high opinion of one’s self sounds nice, new research suggests that narcissists are actually more stressed than others, putting them at risk for a slew of cardiac diseases.

Psychologists studied 106 undergrads, measuring levels of narcissism and of cortisol, a hormone produced as a stress response. Their results, published Monday in the online journal PLoS One, found that narcissist had higher cortisol levels. The effect, shown in the above chart, was especially true for males. Previous research has linked high cortisol levels to hypertension and heart disease.

Why are narcissists more stressed? An inflated sense of self is actually “stressful and difficult to maintain,” the authors write, noting that narcissists react more aggressively and defensively to challenges of their self-assessment. The world is a harsh place to navigate, it turns out, while attempting to maintain an outsized sense of superiority.