Narcissism

Men who are narcissists may be at risk for some health problems, since they could have inherently higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol even when they're not under pressure, a study finds. Cortisol, which is released by the body when it's under duress or going through an intense activity, can have some benefits--lending an energy surge, helping the body burn fat, and boosting memory. But too much cortisol from chronic stress can have deleterious effects, such as higher blood pressure, lower immunity and higher levels of abdominal fat. Researchers tested the saliva of 106 undergraduate students (79 women, 27 men)

I recently played poker with a bunch of Republicans. My husband and I, both bleeding-heart liberals, are part owners of a cabin in the Sierra outside Fresno, a very conservative area. The Camp Sierra Assn. president has an annual poker game, and this year we, the newcomers, were invited. No one mentioned politics. We talked instead about our kids and Las Vegas and the odd warm weather. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of very good Scotch. I had fun even though I lost $4. When the game was over, we walked home with our across-the-road neighbors and invited them in for a final nightcap.

Let's say there's a famous movie star who thinks he owns Malibu, or a big-name actor who holds himself out as an expert on psychiatry on national television. Or maybe there's a famous actress who frequently calls in sick to the movie set, costing producers thousands of dollars, because she is tired (or hung over). Aren't these examples just proof that celebrity and narcissism go together like Paris Hilton and paparazzi? Not really. They're just anecdotes.

Men who are narcissists may be at risk for some health problems, since they could have inherently higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol even when they're not under pressure, a study finds. Cortisol, which is released by the body when it's under duress or going through an intense activity, can have some benefits--lending an energy surge, helping the body burn fat, and boosting memory. But too much cortisol from chronic stress can have deleterious effects, such as higher blood pressure, lower immunity and higher levels of abdominal fat. Researchers tested the saliva of 106 undergraduate students (79 women, 27 men)

First-borns have long enjoyed reputations as leaders, but a new study suggests they are also likely to grow up to be spoiled brats. Charles E. Joubert, a professor of psychology at the University of North Alabama who studied 29 first-borns, 33 middle-borns and 43 last-borns, found that first-borns scored higher on a narcissism test. The test measured such attributes as self-absorption, lack of empathy and a grandiose sense of self-importance. Sex was a factor too.

They've got the most fabulous personal trainer in town, the best lawyer, the top BMW mechanic, and make sure the world knows it. They're charming enough to attract friends, associates and lovers -- only to drop them as soon as better prospects show up. They need the best table in the house, the lion's share of the conversation and, above all, top billing, whether on the marquee or in the mailroom.

AFTER seeing Barry Bonds up close in the visitors' clubhouse as he was getting ready for a game at Dodger Stadium recently, I couldn't help but think that the San Francisco Giant slugger looks more like a Hollywood heavy than a baseball player. With his gleaming shaved head and giant biceps and upper body, Bonds has the cartoonish air of a computer-enhanced movie villain who should be battling Hugh Jackman in "X-Men," not menacing a Dodger pitcher.

An Orange County Superior Court judge improperly ordered that a 10-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother be put up for adoption simply because their Tustin mother had a "narcissistic" personality, an appeals court has ruled. The children were removed from their home 2 1/2 years ago after county social workers found that their mother was a poor housekeeper. The woman, identified in court papers as Doris F.

Convention, tradition and my editor's polite threat all dictate that this column make predictions for the coming year. But rather than spin the usual hot technology wish lists and "people to watch" profiles, I want to discuss the single most important force now transforming technology, innovation and pop culture: "bionarcissism." It's an ideology as powerful and influential as capitalism and religion combined. Doubt that? Just look at the evidence.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - His political career is wrecked, his reputation is destroyed. He poisoned his marriage, and his martyred wife died knowing he cheated on her and lied about it to the world. And yet Johnny Reid Edwards has behaved as if he owns the courtroom where the Justice Department has been prosecuting him the last three weeks. He strides into court, his face tanned, his hair perfectly in place, his suit crisp. He grabs his counsel's arm and orders him to object to a prosecutor's question.

Where were you when you found out about the death of Osama bin Laden? Or, a better question: What did you do next? Here's what students at Yale University did. After President Obama finished his speech, they headed to the quad to celebrate. They chanted "U-S-A!" and "Yes we did!"; they waved American flags, blasted vuvuzelas, took pictures with their arms raised or wrapped around one another. They bellowed "The Star-Spangled Banner," along with stadium standbys like "We Are the Champions" and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.

Rielle Hunter's nearly 10,000-word GQ interview plus cringe- inducing photo spread (think bare legs, surrounded by stuffed animals) hit the media fan this week, but as far as I'm concerned, the definitive work on John Edwards' mistress-turned-baby-mama appeared on this page nearly two years ago. In an August 2008, Op-Ed writer Sarah Miller explained how she made Hunter's acquaintance when Hunter moved into a rented room in Benedict Canyon that...

IT was the perfect subject for a Warren Zevon song: A down-on-his-luck songwriter gets a terminal cancer diagnosis and turns his death march into a victory trot. But Zevon never got to write it; he ran out of time. Zevon died in September 2003, from mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. Diagnosed the year before, he was given just a few months to live but was determined to record a final album and see the birth of his grandchildren (his daughter, Ariel, gave birth to twins in June 2003.

Let's say there's a famous movie star who thinks he owns Malibu, or a big-name actor who holds himself out as an expert on psychiatry on national television. Or maybe there's a famous actress who frequently calls in sick to the movie set, costing producers thousands of dollars, because she is tired (or hung over). Aren't these examples just proof that celebrity and narcissism go together like Paris Hilton and paparazzi? Not really. They're just anecdotes.

AFTER seeing Barry Bonds up close in the visitors' clubhouse as he was getting ready for a game at Dodger Stadium recently, I couldn't help but think that the San Francisco Giant slugger looks more like a Hollywood heavy than a baseball player. With his gleaming shaved head and giant biceps and upper body, Bonds has the cartoonish air of a computer-enhanced movie villain who should be battling Hugh Jackman in "X-Men," not menacing a Dodger pitcher.

They've got the most fabulous personal trainer in town, the best lawyer, the top BMW mechanic, and make sure the world knows it. They're charming enough to attract friends, associates and lovers -- only to drop them as soon as better prospects show up. They need the best table in the house, the lion's share of the conversation and, above all, top billing, whether on the marquee or in the mailroom.

Big Sur, the 90 or so miles of rugged Pacific coast that unfurls south of Monterey, is known for pricey, reservations-only restaurants and as a capital of the New Age movement. It's a place, then, for well-fed people to get in touch with their inner selves in a spectacular natural setting. But before the arrival of $120 prix fixe dinners, before the human potential movement was founded at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur was associated with one of America's most austere and, for a while, famous artists.

The art world, like all worlds, runs on cliches. That's why it's so easily understood and so impenetrable at the same time. What can you do with an obtuse critic, mercenary dealer or unimaginative collector? Especially if you are a firebrand artist invited to participate in a big show, you can't sleep at night because a gimmicky idea threatens to seduce you, and the fan is broken in your studio-cum-apartment?

An Orange County Superior Court judge improperly ordered that a 10-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother be put up for adoption simply because their Tustin mother had a "narcissistic" personality, an appeals court has ruled. The children were removed from their home 2 1/2 years ago after county social workers found that their mother was a poor housekeeper. The woman, identified in court papers as Doris F.

The art world, like all worlds, runs on cliches. That's why it's so easily understood and so impenetrable at the same time. What can you do with an obtuse critic, mercenary dealer or unimaginative collector? Especially if you are a firebrand artist invited to participate in a big show, you can't sleep at night because a gimmicky idea threatens to seduce you, and the fan is broken in your studio-cum-apartment?