Međedović, Janko (2025) Self-esteem, but not narcissism, positively predicts fertility across the cultures. Personality and Individual Differences, 236. ISSN 1873-3549
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Estimating the links between behavioral traits and fertility (e.g., number of children) is a fundamental step in the analysis of contemporary natural selection on behavioral traits. Self-esteem and narcissism are two frequently examined personality traits with partially shared content, but their associations with fertility are rarely analyzed. We examined these associations using a publicly available, large intercultural database (N = 43,029; 65 countries). We fitted multilevel Poisson regressions with random slopes; furthermore, we analyzed the interactions between personality traits, participants' sex, and the size of their settlement (urban vs. rural) in the prediction of the number of children. The results showed that self-esteem positively predicted fertility, while narcissism had no contribution to the prediction; significant variations in these effects across countries were captured as well. Interactions showed that the positive link between self-esteem and fertility was particularly expressed in males and in urban environments; conversely, narcissism showed a negative association with fertility in rural settlements. The data suggest that self-esteem may be under positive directional selection, which has implications for the evolutionary personality ecology in contemporary human populations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
| Depositing User: | Ivana Kovačević |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Dec 2025 12:02 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Dec 2025 12:02 |
| URI: | http://institutecsr.iksi.ac.rs/id/eprint/1206 |
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