The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports, “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,” according to a study in PLoS One.
Researchers “tested the saliva of 106 undergraduate students” who had “filled out a 40-question narcissism test” and “found an association between higher cortisol and unhealthy narcissism in men, but in women that relationship was only marginal.
There was no link found between higher cortisol and healthy narcissism in men or women.” HealthDay also covers the story.