Wine world is riddled with wine snobs, those who would never relinquish a wine list at restaurants and anguish over drinking a Bordeaux in a Burgundy glass.
It turns out narcissism might be at work fueling a wine drinker’s ego because of the perceived social status associated with wine.
There are already researches that link wine consumption to attractiveness and competence. But a recent study on French and American wine drinkers found that narcissists tend to drink more wine as a way to show off their social status. Even if it means they don’t enjoy wine.
The study jointly conducted by researchers in France and Australia found that individuals who are high in narcissism strive for social admiration will drink more wine, as the tipple is more often associated with “greater social attractiveness” such as affluence, sophistication and prestige.
This tendency is reinforced when social benefits of drinking outweigh their personal preference despite the fact they don’t like wine, according to the study.
The researchers conducted two separate studies in France and the US, the former focusing on wine lovers and the latter on average consumers who don’t enjoy wine.
In the first study focusing on French wine consumers, they polled over 600 consumers and found a significant positive correlation between narcissism and wine consumption.
The narcissistic wine consumers in their sample consumed wine more frequently, and were more likely to associate wine consumption with social attractiveness, according to the researchers.
Interestingly, their general profile tends to be male, more educated, and wealthier.
In the second study in the US focusing on non-savvy wine drinkers, researchers found that narcissists, who don’t associate wine with pleasure, still engage in higher wine consumption.
“In other words, narcissists engage more in wine consumption for social reasons when they do not (versus do) anticipate wine consumption as a pleasurable experience,” the researchers wrote.
What’s your thought on the study?
1 thought on “Study finds narcissists drink more wine”