A new study of French and American consumers finds that narcissists drink more wine than non-narcissists because they associate it with greater social attractiveness. The study also suggests that these social benefits drive narcissists to drink wine, even if they don’t particularly like it.
The culture of narcissism: drinking wine is sophisticated
The previous one Research has shown that people associate wine with wealth, prestige and sophistication. As an object of ‘conspicuous consumption’, wine enables people to show their social status and social skills (e.g. knowing which wine to order in a restaurant). Some research has even found that drinking wine actually makes people more attractive.
Qualities like these are exactly what narcissists love to project: wealth, power, and attractiveness. From the spiritual narcissist to the covert narcissist, everyone seems to share one trait, “the belief that one is special and more important than others,” as the authors of the present study write. Learning how to live peacefully with narcissists has even become something of a homework.
Assessing the links between wine and narcissism
The above results prompted a team of researchers in France and Australia to investigate whether these traits could also lead narcissists to consume more wine than non-narcissists.
To test their guess, they conducted two studies, one in France and one in the United States. Of course, these two countries have very different wine cultures. Per capita wine consumption in France (PDF) is about three times that of the United States. Nonetheless, wine consumption in the US has been on the rise for decades, from Walmart wine to William Hill Chardonnay. And examining both countries makes the research findings generalisable.
The first study consisted of 654 French adults who were recruited through a consumer research firm (Toluna). The sample consisted of 56% men and 44% women from a wide range of professional and educational backgrounds. Their average age was in their mid-40s, and around a quarter of the participants were under 35.
The participants answered questions about their demographic background and their typical consumption of red wine, white wine and Co. Rose.
They also completed a four-part narcissism measurement. It asked them to respond to statements such as “I tend to expect special favors from others” and “I tend to seek prestige or status”.
How to make a narcissist unhappy: Take away their wine
Researchers found a significant positive correlation between narcissism and wine consumption. The narcissistic wine consumers in their sample consumed wine more frequently and associated wine consumption with social attractiveness. They also tended to describe themselves as wine experts. They were also more male, more educated and wealthier. The age of the subjects did not play a significant role.
As the study’s authors write, “The more narcissistic people are, the more they perceive wine as a means of enhancing their social image, which in turn leads them to consume larger amounts of wine.”
When a wine consumer isn’t necessarily a wine lover
The paper’s second study was conducted in the United States. The researchers wanted to see if the results of their French study would be replicated elsewhere.
But they also wanted to investigate whether narcissists drink more wine even though they don’t like wine very much. In other words, whether some narcissists only drink wine for the perceived status-enhancing benefits.
This second study also used a market research firm to recruit the subjects. The US sample included 192 participants, 55% female and 45% male, with a mean age of 32 years. These subjects answered a series of questions similar to those in the first study.
As expected, the researchers found similar results, further supporting their hypothesis that “Narcissists, because of the social attractiveness associated with their use connect, consume larger amounts of wine”.
Study 2 also found that narcissists, even those who do not associate drinking wine with pleasure, still drink more wine. In other words, “the social rewards resulting from consumption appear to be more important than [the] emotional rewards” of drinking wine itself. This leads narcissists to consume more wine “even if they do not find such an experience pleasurable.”
In summary, the authors write, “People high in narcissism consume larger amounts of wine to satisfy their need to shine socially.
Narcissistic Alcohol Abuse: A Surprisingly Apt Analogy
These findings could be useful for advertisers, the authors write. Micro-targeting narcissists as consumers who are more likely to consume wine could prove to be a cost-effective strategy. However, the authors warn that this could also have a negative backlash effect. The reckless promotion of binge drinking could lead to even tougher restrictions on alcohol advertising.
In fact, narcissism and binge drinking have more in common than meets the eye. The authors refer to previous research that suggests “seeing narcissism as an addiction,” namely an addiction to appreciation and admiration. Addictive cravings eventually begin to “dominate other motivations and reduce rational behavior,” the authors write.
To extend this analogy further, narcissistic people may lack self-control when looking for ways to increase their social attractiveness. As such, they may “lack the self-control of drinking wine if they see that wine as a tool to help them improve their social image.”
Study: “The Narcissistic Wine Consumers: How the social attractiveness associated with wine drives narcissists to engage in wine consumption”Authors: Renaud Lunardo, David A. Jaud, and Armando MariaCorsiPublished in: Food Quality and Preference Release Date: 3. November 2020DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104107Photo: by cottonbro via Pixel
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