Can Being Religious Make You Less Narcissistic?

All human cultures have religion, since most societies do religious things. One reason could be that religion helps us stay alive.

However, people vary in terms of their religious beliefs, with some being more religious than others. According to psych researchers, personality plays a major role in how spiritual someone is.

Researchers in the ‘70s found personality factors that explained social attitude differences. Their report found that being religious is connected to being kind-hearted.

Recent studies look at "manipulative" personality traits like narcissism and Machiavellianism. Religious folks scored lower on these traits than non-religious folks. Researchers discovered that being spiritual meant being less Machiavellian.

Others noticed the same connection between empathy and religion. These findings show that specific personality traits impact how individuals engage with others.