Facets of grandiose narcissism predict involvement in health-risk behaviors

• Grandiose narcissism is associated with increased risk-taking behaviors.
• We examined whether narcissistic traits (entitlement, exploitativeness, grandiosity) predicted risk-taking behaviors.
• Grandiosity and exploitativeness were associated with multiple risk-taking behaviors.
• Entitlement was associated with a preference for smaller, more immediate rewards.

Why do adolescents and young adults engage in risk-taking behaviors? The present study sought to examine the role of grandiose narcissism, as well as narcissistic traits (entitlement, exploitativeness, grandiosity), in the prediction of involvement in risk-taking behaviors. Participants were 630 undergraduates, split into two subgroups, who completed measures assessing likelihood of and actual involvement in risk-taking behaviors, perceived risks and benefits of the behaviors, delay discounting, grandiose narcissism, and narcissistic traits. Greater levels of grandiose narcissism predicted reported likelihood of risk-taking and risk-taking behaviors in the past 30 days. This relationship appears driven by grandiosity and exploitativeness rather than entitlement. Grandiose narcissism and entitlement were independently associated with a preference for smaller, more immediate gains over larger, temporally distant rewards. Implications for understanding reasons behind risk-taking behaviors and future studies of narcissism are discussed.