Day by day on display: a daily diary study of narcissists’ social media self-presentation, perceptions of social outcomes, and subjective well-being
Day by day on display: a daily diary study of narcissists’ social media self-presentation, perceptions of social outcomes, and subjective well-being
Narcissism implies maintaining self-worth through social feedback, yet little is known about how individuals high-vs-low in narcissism experience day-to-day consequences of self-presentation. Using a daily-diary design (N = 154), we examined whether grandiose and vulnerable narcissism predict social media posting behaviours, perceived social outcomes, and subjective well-being. Narcissistic admiration positively predicted daily self-presentation, positivity, and favourable interpersonal outcomes, whereas narcissistic rivalry or vulnerability predicted poorer outcomes or greater unmet expectations. Vulnerable narcissism predicted lower well-being and amplified the negative impact of unmet relationship-initiation expectations. These findings show that perceived social outcomes are shaped primarily by individuals’ expectations and interpretations rather than posting behaviour, highlighting the importance of unmet interpersonal goals for the well-being of those high in vulnerable narcissism.
Daily diary, Interpersonal relationships, Narcissism, Self-presentation, Social media, Social outcomes, Subjective well-being
Surariu, Carmen
eb0ca056-4ec7-4811-bc97-50f308beb7de
Carnelley, Kathy
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Hart, Claire
e3db9c72-f493-439c-a358-b3b482d55103
1 June 2026
Surariu, Carmen
eb0ca056-4ec7-4811-bc97-50f308beb7de
Carnelley, Kathy
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Hart, Claire
e3db9c72-f493-439c-a358-b3b482d55103
Surariu, Carmen, Carnelley, Kathy and Hart, Claire
(2026)
Day by day on display: a daily diary study of narcissists’ social media self-presentation, perceptions of social outcomes, and subjective well-being.
Journal of Research in Personality, 122, [104727].
(doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2026.104727).
Abstract
Narcissism implies maintaining self-worth through social feedback, yet little is known about how individuals high-vs-low in narcissism experience day-to-day consequences of self-presentation. Using a daily-diary design (N = 154), we examined whether grandiose and vulnerable narcissism predict social media posting behaviours, perceived social outcomes, and subjective well-being. Narcissistic admiration positively predicted daily self-presentation, positivity, and favourable interpersonal outcomes, whereas narcissistic rivalry or vulnerability predicted poorer outcomes or greater unmet expectations. Vulnerable narcissism predicted lower well-being and amplified the negative impact of unmet relationship-initiation expectations. These findings show that perceived social outcomes are shaped primarily by individuals’ expectations and interpretations rather than posting behaviour, highlighting the importance of unmet interpersonal goals for the well-being of those high in vulnerable narcissism.
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Diary Narc_20260429
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Accepted/In Press date: 28 April 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 April 2026
Published date: 1 June 2026
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Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Author(s)
Keywords:
Daily diary, Interpersonal relationships, Narcissism, Self-presentation, Social media, Social outcomes, Subjective well-being
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Local EPrints ID: 511824
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511824
ISSN: 0092-6566
PURE UUID: 4743877a-3281-4be8-a53c-ee0d46f97aa3
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Date deposited: 04 Jun 2026 16:38
Last modified: 05 Jun 2026 02:05
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Author:
Carmen Surariu
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