Recently, Jamal Madison, a first semester undergraduate research assistant here at the FF-PTG Lab, gave a presentation regarding a study that investigated the connections between narcissism, selfie-taking, and exercise. This study explored how a specific type of exercise, weightlifting, related to levels of narcissism. Additionally, it looked at how selfie-taking tendencies were associated with weightlifting.
Jamal presented the lab with two hypotheses which he would go on to explain thoroughly. One of these hypotheses predicted that those who engaged in weightlifting would exhibit higher levels of narcissism compared to those who did not engage in weightlifting. The other hypothesis which was posited during this presentation was that those who engage in weightlifting would take more selfies than those who did not.
During his presentation, Jamal explained the background information that provided the basis for his hypotheses. For instance, he noted that the literature surrounding this topic linked bodybuilding tendencies to higher levels of narcissism. Additionally, he pointed out that the motivations behind weightlifting are often to improve physical appearance. Once he provided ample reasoning for his hypotheses, Jamal went on to explain the methodology, results, discussion, limitations, and future directions pertaining to this study.
The outcomes of this study were quite interesting. After analyzing the results of the two separate t-tests for independent means that were run to assess the data, support was found for the first hypothesis regarding narcissism and weightlifting. However, no significant results were found pertaining to selfie-taking and weightlifting.
The findings from this study have a myriad of implications, as pointed out by Jamal during his presentation. For instance, knowing how narcissism relates to certain physical activities expands our knowledge of narcissism and how it is displayed. Jamal wrapped up the presentation by noting the many possible future directions related to this topic. Exploring how other physical activities are related to narcissism is just one possible avenue that researchers can take in the future to further investigate narcissism in the athletic context.
Jamal thoroughly explained this study and his findings to the lab and we look forward to seeing his upcoming presentations next semester!
FF-TIP LAB 