People who appear on reality dating programs were more likely than a comparison group to report grandiose narcissistic traits and to base their self-esteem on their physical appearance, according to research published in Psychology of Popular Media. They also reported lower attachment anxiety, meaning less fear of romantic rejection and less need for reassurance in relationships.
The researchers, Leonie Schlebusch, Florian Hutzler and Sarah Schuster of the University of Salzburg, compared online questionnaire responses from 58 people who had appeared on at least one dating show between 2017 and 2024 with responses from 71 people who had not. The team adjusted its statistical comparisons for demographic differences, including age and education.
Higher grandiose narcissism was a strong predictor of belonging to the television group: for each standard-unit increase in the trait, the likelihood of being in that group more than doubled. Grandiose narcissism is associated with self-assurance, a desire for admiration and assertive communication. Vulnerable narcissism, which involves greater insecurity and sensitivity to criticism, was not a statistically significant predictor.
Participants who tied their self-worth to their looks were also more likely to have appeared on a dating show. Other sources of self-esteem did not show clear differences between the groups. In particular, self-esteem based on competition was not a reliable predictor, while an initial difference related to seeking others’ approval disappeared after the researchers accounted for age and education.
In follow-up questions, participants most often described joining for adventure, fun or the chance to gain social media visibility. Some said they hoped to find a partner, but others viewed romance as secondary. Most reported no lasting change in how they saw themselves after appearing on television. Some said their confidence or emotional maturity had increased, while a few described harm to their self-esteem from viewers’ criticism.
The researchers cautioned that the study included a modest number of participants and that the control group differed demographically: its members were generally younger, more highly educated and more likely to be students. They also noted that the measure of vulnerable narcissism had low internal reliability, which may have made it harder to identify a relationship with participation. The study is titled “Narcissism on the Beach? Attachment Style, Personality, and Self-Esteem Contingencies of Dating-Show Participants.”
Sources: PsyPost.