If you watch any of these TV shows you're probably a narcissist

We all know narcissistic people. It turns out that these personality traits could be enhanced if you watch certain types of TV shows.

If you've ever wondered how narcissistic you may or may not be, well fret not as some handy research has been able to nail down your levels of narcissism based on your TV viewing habits.

As reported by Spring, psychologists have conducted research upon 565 men and women whose personalities and viewing habits were assessed.

The study found that people who watch more of a specific genre tend to have more narcissistic personality traits.

Reality TV.

Ted Dickinson, a study co-author believes that characters on TV are more and more self-centred and being exposed to that is having an impact

I suspect the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Some people with narcissistic tendencies are seeking out media characters similar to themselves, whereas others who watch reality TV see narcissism as normalised behaviour and begin acting more narcissistic.

Interestingly people who are more narcissistic are seemingly looking for characters they can relate to, which is what they find in reality TV, sports, political talk shows and thrillers.

The authors of the research found that on the other hand people who watch the news appeared to score lower on a test of narcissism.

Interestingly, preference for news was negatively related to narcissism.

One possible explanation for this finding is that individuals who pay attention to the news are also more civically engaged and less individualistic.

The people who show fewer narcissistic personalty traits are people who watch the news.

It is believed this could be because they are more engaged with the outer world instead of looking inwards.

Further to this study, it has found that narcissistic traits seems to be on the rise in college students.

The study’s authors conclude that:

Many of the messages to which we are exposed on the TV today feature rampant self-interest, disregard of others’ well-being, and a focus on the individual above all else, which are all components of narcissism.

Our research suggests that those messages may in turn be cultivating narcissism in society.

Read more: The quiz that reveals if you're a narcissist