Fans of science fiction such as 'Star Wars' are narcissists, suggests new study

Geeks, including the fans of science fiction such as "Star Wars," are more likely to be suffering from narcissism, suggests a new research. The study is based on the investigation of the growing popularity of the geek culture, as endorsed by the success of the latest “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

In the study, researchers from the University of Georgia created a scale to ascertain the level of involvement of participants in traditional aspects of geek culture, especially their engagement in interests and activities at major geek conventions. The research involved assessment of the participants on various aspects such as the Big Five personality traits, emotional needs and narcissism.

According to Bustle, one of the key findings of the research is that geeks are prone to narcissism. The study suggests that geeks who attend Comic Con, dress up as superheroes or play a lot of video games are likely to have an “elevated grandiose” level of narcissism.

Though geek culture is traditionally associated with obscure media (Japanese animation, science fiction, video games, etc.), it has, in recent years, gained immense popularity. The latest research provides evidence that some individuals engage in geek culture to maintain narcissistic self-views (the great fantasy migration hypothesis), to fulfill belongingness needs (the belongingness hypothesis) and to satisfy needs for creative expression (the need for engagement hypothesis).

“Geek culture is becoming increasingly mainstream. In the past year alone, New York Comic Con, one of the premier geek conventions in the United States, attracted over 130,000 attendees,” said researcher Jessica McCain, reports the New York Post.