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and internet use is widely studied, but it has often neglected the two different types of narcissists. Grandiose narcissists feel superior to others, like showing off, and want to receive positive for their actions. Vulnerable narcissists, on the other hand, feel neglected, , and tend to have low . These differences clearly can make a difference in how people interact.

A new study [1] shows that these different types of narcissists do indeed behave differently online. Namely: some prefer online communication over interacting face-to-face.

Vulnerable narcissists tend to experience more anxiety in their social interactions, fearing rejection and having a hard time getting what they want out of their relationships (because what they want is praise for what they feel are neglected achievements or superiority). Grandiose narcissists, on the other hand, tend not to have these anxieties because they see themselves are truly superior to others.

Researchers hypothesized these differences would lead to different preferences regarding online interaction. They studied over 500 people, administering surveys to gauge their narcissism type and level along with measures of social efficacy, anxiety and related factors.

They confirmed what they suspected: vulnerable narcissists tend to prefer online interactions over face-to-face ones. While this insight had been offered by previous work, this study showed a relationship between this preference and the narcissists' low self-esteem and feelings of being ineffective in their social interactions.

Grandiose narcissists, on the other hand, don't have these issues. They aren't driven to the internet to communicate in any particular way. For them, it is simply one other platform to use to work for the attention they want.

Unfortunately for the vulnerable narcissists, their strategies are not helpful. Other work has shown that online interaction can lead to greater and feelings of decreased social skills [2] - exactly the problems that make these narcissists turn to the internet in the first place. In essence, the move toward increased online interaction will likely only make these social anxieties worse.

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[1] Ksinan, Albert J., and Alexander T. Vazsonyi. "Narcissism, Internet, and social relations: A study of two tales." and Individual Differences 94 (2016): 118-123.

[2] Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: The relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12, 451–455