Narcissism and resistance to doubts about romantic partners

It was hypothesized that narcissism would be associated with resistance to doubts concerning the commitment of romantic partners. Furthermore, this resistance might buffer against relationship dysfunction that sometimes follows such doubts. In support of our predictions, narcissism was associated with greater reported difficulty completing a task that involved listing reasons why current romantic partners might be less committed. Following the task, narcissism was associated with less relationship dysfunction, defined as lack of commitment, desire to accept an extra-partner dating invitation, and the desire to adopt a more game-playing (ludus) love style. The opposite pattern emerged in a second condition where participants were asked to list reasons why their current romantic partners might be more committed (i.e., narcissism associated with less difficulty and higher relationship dysfunction). Though narcissism is generally associated with lower relationship functioning, the present results illuminate a situation where narcissism may be beneficial particularly in the short-term.