The Dark (and Bright) Side of Identity: How National Narcissism is Linked to Belief in Conspiracy Theories
Issue 125: Reflections on Independence day, national narcissism, and conspiracy theories
As we approach the July 4th holiday, a time when Americans reflect on the nation's history and celebrate by hosting barbeques and blowing things up, I’ve been thinking about what Independence Day means to me and also revisiting a study about how excess nationalism can be detrimental. A study from Jay’s lab, led by Dr. Anni Sternisko suggests that excess nationalism, or national narcissism could spur the belief in and spread of conspiracy theories.
The trait, national narcissism, is described as “the belief in the greatness of one’s nation, and that one’s nation is exceptional compared to others”. The study examined an internationally diverse population of over 50,000 people in 56 countries and found that as individuals become more nationally narcissistic, they are more likely to believe in and share conspiracy theories about COVID-19.
Previous research had found that belief in conspiracy theories tends to be related to a person’s desire to reinforce and promote an idealistic image about their nation, or that other enemy nations are inferior or evil.
During the height of the pandemic, many nations, including the United States failed to take action early enough to provide resources and information to their citizens during the early months of the pandemic. For one, the national supply of N95 masks and personal protective equipment failed to equip America’s nurses and doctors with the protection they needed, despite the Trump administration having a pandemic playbook to follow if disaster should strike.
The study proposed that the belief in and spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories could be some people’s way of dealing with their nation’s failures. Previous studies had suggested that because their identity is tied to their nation’s image, national narcissists may experience their nation’s failings as a threat to their identity.
In the study, participants read a variety of conspiracy theories, including two related to COVID-19. They then rated 1) how much they agreed with the theory and 2) how likely they would be to share it online. Next, they were presented with three questions to determine their personal level of national narcissism.
One of the items read, “I will never be satisfied until the United States gets the recognition it deserves”. Participants who strongly agree with the statements scored higher on national narcissism.
Across all three studies the researchers found that those who scored high in national narcissism indicated that they are more likely to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Strikingly, the relationship was also very strong—with a r = .38 correlation between national narcissism and conspiracy theory beliefs in the global study.
In the United States and United Kingdom, national narcissism was also related to the intention to spread COVID-19 conspiracy theories.
The study controlled for whether other traits may explain the belief in and spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, including the tendency to believe in nonsensical information, lack of knowledge about the pandemic, and a general inclination to post about COVID-19 on online. Even though these traits also had potential to influence the belief in and spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the effect of national narcissism was still significant.
Finally, the study also found that national narcissism was also mildly related to whether someone would support public health policies to protect against COVID-19 and less likely to engage in positive health behaviors such as social distancing.
This reveals the dark side of identity—the narcissistic defense side. But the same global dataset found that healthier forms of national identity were associated with making sacrifices for the public good. Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviors and support for public health policies.
As we celebrate Independence Day this week, you may notice some of the darker sides of nationalism—along with the positive. Take the opportunity to reflect on what living in the U.S. (or any other country) means to you. Are you obsessed with your nation getting the respect it deserves or with helping it improve? What do you wish was different? What do you cherish about living here? What do you celebrate?
Even as our governments struggle with inefficiencies and failures and everything else happening in the world, it’s worthwhile to reconnect with your home and the people who make it special.
Anyway, this is my “fourth of July song”.
News and Updates
Jay gave a talk about the science of misinformation at the Health Quality Forum in BC earlier this year. The video recording is now available online for free:
Catch up on the last one…
Last week, Jay reveals how major championship wins can get children behind a sports team for their entire life.
Wow. That song brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for the invitation to consider a little more deeply than we otherwise would what it means for us to be patriotic and to love our country in the context of what nationalism can do. 🙏