Home of the Most Narcissists Revealed
From a coworker referring to their partner as a narcissist to your friend talking about their narcissistic boss, it's increasingly common for the term "narcissist" to come up. While people may be misusing or overusing the word in conversation, online search data shows they are trying to learn more about this behavior.
To determine what types of questions Americans have about narcissism, we collected Google search data over the past year in every state and the 30 most populous cities. We divided our list of search terms into four categories: learning about narcissists, narcissists in relationships, narcissists in families, and narcissists at work.
We used these categories to show more detail about what Americans are searching for. We then assigned scores to the search volume and ranked states and cities accordingly. Read on to see where Americans are taking the most interest in learning more about narcissism and what areas of the U.S. keep psychologists actively studying Narcissistic personality disorder.
Key Takeaways
- Texas, Iowa, and New Hampshire are home to the most narcissists in the U.S.
- New York, NY, Indianapolis, IN, San Jose, CA, and El Paso, TX are home to the most narcissists in the U.S.
- "Can narcissists change?" is the most searched question by Americans when it comes to narcissism.
- Moms, husbands, and boyfriends are the most common relationships Americans perceive to be narcissistic.
- Residents in the South are the most likely to seek information regarding narcissists online.
The States Where the Most Suspected Narcissists Live
Reviewing search volume by state over the past year, we found which parts of the country are most curious about narcissistic behavior. Leading the way is Texas, with a narcissist search score of 92.5 across all four categories.
Residents in The Lone Star State are the most likely in the U.S. to turn to the internet to learn more about narcissists and their behavior. In addition, Texas residents are the most likely to search online for tips on how to handle narcissistic behavior in the workplace.
Iowa and New Hampshire rank second on the narcissist search scale as the states tied with a score of 87.5. Following closely behind is a three-way tie for fourth among Maine, Indiana, and South Carolina with a score of 85.0.
Residents in South Carolina lead the way for searches when it comes to narcissists in relationships. Looking further north, residents in Indiana search for information regarding narcissistic behaviors among family members the most.
Overall, residents in the South are the most likely to seek information regarding narcissists online.
The Cities with the Most Suspected Narcissists
When we zoom in on search volume by city in the U.S., New York City leads the way with a narcissist search score of 97.6. New York, NY, ranked first in each category except learning about narcissists, where the city ranked second behind Milwaukee, WI.
Indianapolis, IN, is in second place with a score of 90.2, while San Jose, CA, and El Paso, TX, tied for third with a score of 85.4.
Residents of some cities do not spend much time researching narcissists at all. However, Austin, TX, ranks first for the least narcissists with a score of 9.8. Portland, OR, is in second place, scoring 14.6.
The Most Common Narcissist-Related Searches in the U.S.
In this study, we grouped search terms and phrases into four categories for scoring, but we also wanted to find the most common searches overall. We found that "Can narcissists change?" has been the most-searched narcissist-related question over the past year among Americans.
The second most common search, "What does narcissist mean?" shows all do not understand the term, though many of us hear it often. So what is narcissistic behavior?
Narcissism is a personality disorder, and according to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, it is indicated by the presence of five of nine criteria. Those criteria include "a grandiose sense of self-importance, a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love, a belief that he or she is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions, a need for excessive admiration, a sense of entitlement, interpersonally exploitive behavior, a lack of empathy, envy of others or a belief that others are envious of him or her, and a demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes."
The Most Narcissistic Relationships, According to Americans' Online Searches
For many people, a search to learn about how to handle a narcissist comes after encountering someone with those or similar behaviors. Oftentimes, that person is also someone close to us. During our research, we collected data regarding searches asking if a specific person in one's life is a narcissist.
Leading the way as the most perceived narcissists are moms, husbands, and boyfriends. We found these relationships are the most common to be typed into a search engine when trying to learn more about narcissistic behavior.
While they did not rank as high on the list, friends and bosses were among the top ten most narcissistic relationships, according to Google searches over the past year.
Conclusion
If you are among the many Americans trying to discover more about narcissists online and find yourself wanting to understand better the behavior, perhaps a career in counseling is right for you. As a counselor, you would not only learn more about conditions like narcissism, but you would also have the opportunity to help people overcome personal challenges, improve their mental health, and lead more fulfilling lives.
At CounselingPsychology.org, we also offer many resources to help you determine the correct path for your career. From a look inside popular counseling specialties to details on how to become a licensed counselor.
Methodology
In this study, we analyzed Google search volume over the past year regarding narcissism. To determine which parts of the U.S. are eager to learn more about narcissists, we built a list of 33 keywords across four categories: learning about narcissism, narcissism in relationships, narcissism in families, and narcissism at work.
After collecting the average monthly searches for each state and the 30 largest U.S. cities, we determined the average search volume for each category per person using the location’s population. We then grouped each state and town with locations with similar population sizes. In this grouping, we ranked each search volume about the others in that specific group. We decided to group locations based on population to consider the varying search volumes due to the number of residents in that state or city.
After each group was ranked, we attached a score to each rank and found the total score for each location across the four categories. We then adjusted the scores on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most narcissists.
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