Do we only have narcissists to choose from?

In a large nationally representative study in the United States, we provide novel evidence that the greater pool of candidates who run for political office are higher in narcissism. Prior research has found that those who would like run for office, but don't actually run, are higher in grandiose narcissism. Here, using the SINS measure of narcissism, which asks respondents if they are a narcissist, we find that narcissistic individuals have greater expressive political ambition and are more likely than others to not only be interested in political office, but to actually run for political office.

Automated summary

In a large-scale study in the United States, it was found that candidates running for political office tend to exhibit higher levels of narcissism. Previous research had already shown that individuals who express interest in running for office but do not actually do so are more likely to display grandiose narcissism. However, using the SINS measure of narcissism, this study demonstrates that narcissistic individuals not only have greater ambition for political office, but are also more likely to actively run for office.