The narcissist engages in sustained and piercing eye contact and normally refrains from bodily contact, physical proximity, or from entering in a discussion unless from a state of condescension, superiority and faked "magnanimity and largesse".
Some narcissists are better at hiding their narcissistic traits than others, and you can't always tell someone's a narcissist just by looking at them. One telltale trait is the narcissist stare, which involves piercing and prolonged eye contact.
Narcissists are always looking at the external, and they will want to see in your eyes that you adore them and accept them as being the incredible person they have projected. Perhaps most importantly, they are seeking validation.
The narcissist stares to gain dominance over you. The stare is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and make you feel as if you are in danger or doing something wrong. The narcissist never wants you to feel comfortable in your life because it will make you much harder to control and manipulate.
So, when narcissists throw false accusations at you, say mean things to you, or shame you over something, they do not make any eye contact. They avoid eye contact to avoid being seen as vulnerable & hostile. Most importantly, they're dishonest and it's a natural thing to steal eye contact while lying.
Narcissists tend to display exaggerated body language and facial expressions. The 1990 study on conversational narcissism also found that narcissists tend to be overly dramatic in their hand gestures and facial expressions. They may also speak in a loud tone of voice.
Narcissists engage in mirroring as a manipulative tactic to lure in and manipulate others to serve their own needs. They mirror to: Form their own sense of identity. Gain your trust and create a sense of intimacy.
Narcissists do enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. They may spend more time grooming themselves to bolster their grandiose self-images. In this way, narcissists may be more prone to self-objectify—and identify with and to base their self-worth on their external appearance, instead of their character.
People can identify narcissists just from looking at their faces, psychologists have discovered. In fact, the eyebrows alone can reveal narcissistic traits in people, research reveals. Grandiose narcissists have thicker and denser eyebrows and people automatically pick up on this cue.
Narcissists are more likely to wear expensive, flashy clothing, have an organized, neat appearance requiring a lot of preparation, and (in females) wear makeup and show cleavage.
Narcissists just don't have a healthy relationship to themselves to provide them with grounding and stability. They rely on feedback from the environment for their self-image. So the reflection tells them that they exist and helps define them. Without it, they don't know who they are.
Yes, many people have noticed that narcissists have cold, dead eyes. It can be quite unsettling to look at them and see their blank stares. What you are seeing is a person who is completely disconnected from their emotions and feelings. They may seem like they are emotionless or even robotic.
Red Flags When You're In a Relationship With a Narcissist
Downplays your emotions. Uses manipulative tactics to “win” arguments. Love bombing, especially after a fight. Makes you second-guess yourself constantly.
Therefore, somatic narcissists are obsessed with their physical appearance and weight, often securing self-worth from their body image. On the other hand, cerebral narcissists gain their sense of value from their intellect.
Initial results showed participants found eyebrow thickness and a high density of hair were accurate indications of narcissism. The study went further and swapped narcissists' and non-narcissists' eyebrows between faces, and got the same outcome.
But a new study has found an unexpected physical symptom of the trait. According to researchers, narcissists give themselves away by blushing when they're on the receiving end of only modest praise.
Feeling uncomfortable around displaying genuine emotions, the narcissist may view it as “wrong” and criticize you when you do it. They may say something like, “Are you crying over THIS!” or, “This is embarrassing!”
Perhaps it is not surprising, but researchers found that narcissists tend be more physically attractive than average.
In fact, narcissists prefer to target someone who is strong-willed, and who has talents or characteristics they admire, because they believe it makes them shine too. "Narcissists are drawn to those who can boost their own self-esteem and validate their sense of importance," Wasser told Insider.
A key trait of narcissists is confidence – they are attractive because they think of themselves as attractive.
The fact that narcissists lack empathy can also be a reason that could lead them to perform copying behaviours, as they will have no remorse or regard for someone else's feelings if they are to mimick their personality or achievements etc.
Most of the time they won't even think about you and you know why: They're too busy spinning their web to snare the next unsuspecting spider. They lack a psychological trait known as Object Constancy, so they can't stay emotionally connected to someone who is not physically close.