Narcissistic Admiration, Rivalry, and Well‐Being: A Multilevel Study Across 57 Societies

INTRODUCTION: Narcissism has complex links with well-being. This study adopts the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept (NARC) to differentiate narcissistic admiration and rivalry, examining their associations with well-being across diverse cultural contexts. METHODS: We used data from 51,070 participants across 57 societies. Multilevel modeling was conducted to assess the associations between the two narcissism dimensions and well-being, and to test whether country-level individualism-collectivism moderates these relationships. Two cultural indices were used: the Minkov-Hofstede individualism score and the Global Collectivism Index. RESULTS: Narcissistic admiration was positively associated with well-being across all societies, indicating a culturally robust link. In contrast, narcissistic rivalry negatively predicted well-being, and this association was stronger in more individualistic and weaker in more collectivistic cultures. Moderation patterns were consistent across both cultural indices. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing narcissistic subdimensions and incorporating cultural perspectives when examining narcissisms psychological outcomes.