Being a narcissist can be good! An expert psychologist reveals the six signs that show you are one - and how to use it to your advantage By Dr Ramani Durvasula Published: 11:58, 12 June 2024 | Updated: 11:58, 12 June 2024 e-mail View comments Arrogant, egotistical, deceitful, manipulative, over-sensitive and totally lacking in empathy - just some of the ways you'd expect a narcissist to be described. But a recent study from Aarhus University in Denmark concluded that some narcissistic traits aren't so terrible. In fact, in the corporate world, female bosses are able to 'exploit the bright sides' of narcissism while tempering its 'dark side' to particularly good effect.
So what are these 'bright sides'? Dr Ramani Durvasula, one of the world's leading experts on narcissism, explains that several of the traits narcissists possess can almost certainly be beneficial both personally and professionally. 'Their charm, confidence, innovative grandiosity - if you can pool all the best things you can find in a narcissist and strip away all the bad stuff, then never let them go!' she says. 'You've found something of a unicorn.
' But, she warns, 'I don't actually think there is such a thing as a "good" narcissist. There might potentially be some good ingredients in there - the flour, if you like - but the narcissist is the entire cake, combining all the other less savoury traits, such as the lack of empathy, the entitlement, the arrogance.' Here Dr Ramani reveals the surprising signs your .
