Narcissists: Are We Surrounded?

July 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Lee Hammick was home alone with his six-month-old son when the baby started crying. Lee was trying to get work done and found himself raising his voice at the infant. His wife walked in, heard it, and a huge fight erupted. As she left, she threw a line over her shoulder: “It’s so damn hard to live with a narcissist.” Lee was stunned. He sat down and angrily Googled “narcissist,” which led him to “narcissistic personality disorder.” Reading the description—thinking you’re special, being preoccupied with yourself, lacking empathy—he recognized himself. He remembered a moment from first grade when a kid named Tony broke his arm on the playground, and young Lee was furious—not because Tony was hurt, but because the accident ruined recess. That memory clicked. He texted his wife: “You’re right. I am a narcissist.” Lee Hammick is now a social media influencer known as “the self-aware narcissist,” and his story opens this episode of Science Vs, which investigates whether we are really surrounded by narcissists—and what to do about them.

The “Epidemic” That Wasn’t

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction: A Repost and a Narcissist's Story** - Wendy Zuckerman introduces a repost of a favorite episode on narcissism, prompted by new listeners.
2 (03:08) **What is a Narcissist?** - Lee discovers the clinical definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and recognizes himself.
3 (05:36) **The "Narcissism Epidemic" Claim** - The episode introduces the popular idea that we are in a narcissism epidemic, fueled by culture and celebrities.
4 (08:48) **Defining the Two Types of Narcissism** - The episode distinguishes between pathological narcissism (NPD) and normal, garden-variety narcissism.
5 (10:07) **The "Narcissism Epidemic" Hypothesis** - The show investigates the claim that society is becoming more narcissistic, starting with the work of psychologists Keith Campbell and Jean Twenge in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
6 (12:12) **Taking the Narcissism Test** - Wendy and Rose take the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) live on the show.
7 (16:48) **The Epidemic Debate: Evidence For and Against** - The show examines the evidence for a narcissism epidemic, starting with the 2008 study by Campbell and Twenge.

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Show Notes

The internet tells us that narcissists are everywhere — and that the problem is only getting worse. It’s like narcissism is oozing out of our celebrities, politicians, partners, parents, maybe even ourselves?? So today, we’re taking a long look in the mirror to find out: are we all a bunch of narcissists? And what should we do if we think someone in our life is a narcissist? We find out by talking to a real narcissist, Lee Hammock of the social media platform “The Self Aware Narcissist” as well as psychologists Prof. W. Keith Campbell, Prof. Kali Trzesniewski, and Dr. Craig Malkin. [REBROADCAST]

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsNarcissistsRerun

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This episode does mention depression. Here are some crisis hotlines:

United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “HOME” to 741741

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Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province)

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Full list of international hotlines here

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsNarcissism

In this episode, we cover:

(00:57) Lee’s Ratatouille Moment

(07:31) The Narcissism Test

(16:17) Are We In a Narcissism Epidemic?

(23:21) It Kind of Sucks to be a Narcissist

(29:36) Narcissists in Therapy

(32:51) How to Deal With a Narcissist in Your Life

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka, and Bobby Lord.Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Igor Weinberg, Dr. April Ilkmen, Dr. Jennifer Gerlach, Dr. Betsy Edershile, Prof. Brad Bushman, Prof. Brent Donnellan, Prof. Chris Barry, Dr. Glenn Geher, and Winkie Ma. Special thanks to Rachel Humphries for editing help. And big thanks to everyone who helped us this season! Jack Weinstein,