You are who you like: Dysfunctional people are more likely to get on with those who are as odd as them

  • Narcissistic people are more tolerant of people who share their traits
  • People who are dysfunctional in similar ways get on well with one another
  • Negative traits included narcissism, antagonism and psychoticism

By Phoebe Weston For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

You might be more similar to your friends than you care to admit. 

According to a new survey, people with personality disorders are more likely to marry or make friends with people who are dysfunctional in a similar way.

Psychopathic and narcissistic people were much more tolerant of people who shared their traits and got on better with them than 'normal' people.

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Psychologists from the University of Georgia found that people with personality disorders are more likely to marry or make friends with people who are dysfunctional in a similar way (stock)

Psychologists from the University of Georgia found that people with personality disorders are more likely to marry or make friends with people who are dysfunctional in a similar way (stock)

WHAT DID THEY DO? 

Researchers carried out two tests. In the first one they surveyed 218 college students to determine what personality disorder traits they had.

These included narcissism, antagonism (a dislike of others), psychoticism (hostility and aggressiveness) and disinhibition (lack of impulse control).

In the second survey, researchers got 198 students to complete a survey on their personality traits - not just their negative ones. 

Participants then came back ten days later to do another survey and rate what they thought when they found those traits in other people.

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Psychologists from the University of Georgia have found that people with dysfunctional traits are better at dealing with people who are dysfunctional in a similar way.  

'If you describe yourself as neurotic, there is a correlation with you saying that you like that trait,' study researcher Joshua Miller, a psychologist at the University of Georgia told Live Science.  

Researchers carried out two tests. In the first one they surveyed 218 college students to determine what personality disorder traits they had.

These included narcissism, antagonism (a dislike of others), psychoticism (hostility and aggressiveness) and disinhibition (lack of impulse control).

In the second survey, researchers got 198 students to complete a survey on their personality traits - not just their negative ones. 

Participants then came back ten days later to do another survey and rate what they thought when they found those traits in other people.

Dr Miller explained that the break limited the chance of people comparing themselves to other people.   

'Antagonistic people don't really like antagonism, and neurotic people don't really like neuroticism, and introverted people don't really like introversion,' said Dr Miller.

'They're just more tolerant of it. They don't rate it as strongly negative as people who don't have those traits.' 

Other recent research has found that narcissists are often initially likeable but tend to have increasingly negative interactions over time.

People's tolerance of such traits in one another might be one reason that personality traits are so difficult to treat (stock)

People's tolerance of such traits in one another might be one reason that personality traits are so difficult to treat (stock)

'There is data that shows that when two antagonistic people get together, as you might surmise, boy, that's going to be a really big, unpleasant interaction', said Dr Miller. 

But this study shows that the opposite is true and people who are dysfunctional in similar ways actually get on much better with one another.

People's tolerance of such traits in one another might be one reason that personality traits are so difficult to treat.

'We don't have a lot of great therapeutic approaches to changing really severe personality disorder. 

'This might explain why they don't want to change', he added.  

 

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