People who have dark, bold and well-defined eyebrows may be hiding a sinister personality trait, psychologists say.
A study found distinctive eyebrows could reveal to others some people are narcissists.
Experts warned these individuals — with an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves — were more likely to invest into perfecting their eyebrows to obtain a more striking or unique appearance.
Dr Ramani Durvasula, a psychologist in Los Angeles, said: ‘Narcissistic people care deeply about their appearance. They’d probably spend more on it — more time, more money.’
While the study found evidence to suggest people may be able to accurately predict if someone is a grandiose narcissist — a person who has an excessive need for admiration and attention — based on the ‘distinctiveness’ of their eyebrows, experts say the results come with some caveats.
Dr Ramani Durvasula, a psychologist, said: ‘Narcisstic people care deeply about their appearance. They’d probably spend more on it — more time, more money (stock image)
Dr Durvasula told USA Today: ‘Yes, narcissistic people care deeply about their appearance… but not everyone who takes care of their eyebrows, obviously, by any stretch of the imagination, is narcissistic.’
A study carried out in 2018 pointed to the eyebrows as being a marker of grandiose narcissists — a form of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) where someone behaves as if they are superior to others.
Conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, participants were given the narcissistic personality inventory test to diagnose the disorder.
Photos of the participants were then cropped so only their eyebrows could be seen and these were shown to a separate group.
This group rated the eyebrows for traits including grooming, distinctiveness and femininity.
Results showed people who had been rated to have distinctive eyebrows — including thickness and density — were more likely to be grandiose narcissists.
The authors suggested this was because narcissists wanted to have something aesthetically unique and recognizable.
‘Eyebrows facilitate facial recognition,’ Dr Miranda Giacomin told the Independent at the time, adding: ‘Narcissists may maintain distinct, thick, and dense brows to enhance recognition, which they are motivated to attain.’
People with NPD, diagnosed via psychological surveys, are those focused on an idealized and grandiose image of themselves — often to avoid deep feelings of insecurity.
Men are around twice as likely to be narcissists as women, with signs of the disorder appearing at an early age or in teenage years.
Causes of the disorder include negative experiences as a child — such as trauma or rejection — or having overindulgent parents.
People who have the disorder are likely to exhibit a sense of entitlement, manipulative behavior, and may regularly seek admiration from others.
They may also be arrogant or lack empathy for others.
Estimates suggest about 0.5 percent of the US population, or one in 200 people, has the disorder.
