Self-enhancement and physical health: A meta-analysis
Self-enhancement and physical health: A meta-analysis
A prior meta-analysis yielded a positive relation between self-enhancement and psychological health. This article presents the first meta-analysis of the association between self-enhancement and physical health (k = 87; N = 22,415). The meta-analysis relied predominantly on social desirability as an operationalization of self-enhancement and secondarily on comparative judgement and narcissism. Further, the meta-analysis operationalized physical health in terms of self-rated health, symptoms and biomarkers. Overall, self-enhancement yielded a near-zero association with physical health, r =.01. However, this association was more pronounced for comparative judgement (r =.18, k = 6) than social desirability (r =.03, k = 41) or narcissism (r = −.0001, k = 8), and for self-rated health (r =.09, k = 9) than symptoms (r =.01, k = 29) or biomarkers (r = −.13, k = 17). The association between self-enhancement and physical health fluctuates across measures of both constructs calling for more focussed and nuanced investigations.
comparative judgement, health, narcissism, physical health, self-enhancement
583-599
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
6 September 2022
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Sedikides, Constantine
(2022)
Self-enhancement and physical health: A meta-analysis.
British Journal of Social Psychology, 62 (1), .
(doi:10.1111/BJSO.12577).
Abstract
A prior meta-analysis yielded a positive relation between self-enhancement and psychological health. This article presents the first meta-analysis of the association between self-enhancement and physical health (k = 87; N = 22,415). The meta-analysis relied predominantly on social desirability as an operationalization of self-enhancement and secondarily on comparative judgement and narcissism. Further, the meta-analysis operationalized physical health in terms of self-rated health, symptoms and biomarkers. Overall, self-enhancement yielded a near-zero association with physical health, r =.01. However, this association was more pronounced for comparative judgement (r =.18, k = 6) than social desirability (r =.03, k = 41) or narcissism (r = −.0001, k = 8), and for self-rated health (r =.09, k = 9) than symptoms (r =.01, k = 29) or biomarkers (r = −.13, k = 17). The association between self-enhancement and physical health fluctuates across measures of both constructs calling for more focussed and nuanced investigations.
Text
Sedikides, 2022, BJSP
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
British J Social Psychol - 2022 - Sedikides - Self‐enhancement and physical health A meta‐analysis
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 9 August 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 September 2022
Published date: 6 September 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
I gratefully acknowledge Tara L. Lesick, Christopher A. Stockus and especially Ethan Zell for their assistance in the meta-analysis and input on earlier drafts.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
Keywords:
comparative judgement, health, narcissism, physical health, self-enhancement
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 471454
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/471454
ISSN: 0144-6665
PURE UUID: cee1a5a2-ed6b-4bcd-b29d-e895c359ca34
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Date deposited: 08 Nov 2022 18:32
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:33
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