10 Oddly Specific Facial Expressions Usually Made By Narcissistic People
Jorge Simmons | Unsplash If our words and language convey specific messages about our motives, our facial expressions reveal what we're really feeling and thinking emotionally, according to a 2022 study.
So, even when they try to shift our perceptions of them with verbal tactics and language, the oddly specific facial expressions usually made by narcissistic people, along with their body language, tend to give them away. Whether it's "the stare" we know all too well or exaggerated facial movements when they're trying to win our trust, noticing these should raise red flags that you need to create space and protect yourself.
Here are 10 oddly specific facial expressions usually made by narcissistic people
1. The blank stare
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Many narcissistic people offer glimpses into their cold, unfeeling internal states with nonverbal cues like the blank stare. Their eyes don't offer the same kinds of warmth and empathy that a normal person's do, and they instead make people feel uncomfortable and uncertain. Much like their verbal gaslighting behaviors, these specific facial expressions make people question themselves, to the benefit of a narcissistic person's motives.
While at first, these facial expressions can signal a kind of deep interest or curiosity, most of the time, it's a signal that a narcissistic person is sizing you up, calculating what you're worth to them, and measuring what kinds of tactics they need to leverage.
2. Exaggerated smiles and laughs
Many narcissistic people try to build trust, not for the sake of connection or belonging, but to wield more control and power over people. So, they may mirror our language to make us feel comfortable. However, you'll notice their exaggerated expressions first. From bold, shocking laughs to exaggerated smiles when speaking, they're doing everything in their power to make themselves seem like a safe place for us.
Ironically enough, narcissists crave chaos. They might feel super charismatic and charming at first, but it's just to win power over you. They need to start spreading lies, doubt, and shame.
3. A rigid, overly curated presence
Despite operating from a place of deep insecurity, as an NYU study explains, most narcissists play into a grandiose kind of superiority and status to convince people that they're important. In some ways, that's by feeding into an overconfident mentality, but most of the time, it's by curating their external appearance to come across as "perfect."
From small micro-movements that signal status to an overly curated face of makeup, hairstyles, nails, and mimicry, narcissists will rarely let anyone else see them slipping.
4. Extended eye contact
In an effort to signal dominance and power over others, a narcissistic person may linger with eye contact for too long. They maintain it just long enough that the other person feels forced to look away, giving them some kind of subconscious control over them that nobody usually realizes until it's too late.
Sometimes, the best way to combat this is to linger in that eye contact yourself. Even if it makes a narcissistic person angry and uncomfortable, especially for women, standing your ground and continuing to hold their gaze can be powerful for asserting your control, as a study from the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior explains.
5. Leaning in
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Even though we often perceive closeness and physical touch as warm elements of affection, narcissistic people may also weaponize them in sinister ways. It may mean leaning their face closer into you or touching your arm during a greeting.
They may come across as loving and intentional, but all roads lead back to their own self-serving intentions and need for control.
6. Delayed empathy reactions
While narcissistic people often have a dark kind of emotional intelligence and empathy, which allows them to read people's energy and notice when something feels off, they're not actually interested in helping or supporting anyone but themselves. That's usually why their "empathetic faces" come across as inauthentic when you really appreciate them.
They may have a delayed response to someone being vulnerable or talking about a struggle, because they don't realize they should be interested or compassionate until everyone around them is. They're always playing a part, but facial expressions like this can give us a peek behind the curtain.
7. Flashes of rage
Even if they're great at hiding it or weaponizing it at times, most narcissistic people react with anger when they're provoked or challenged, according to a study from Psychological Bulletin. Especially when they realize someone won't be easy to manipulate or when they're called out for bad behavior, you may see this instant flash of rage on their face.
Their eyes get big, their body language tenses up, and it feels like they're sending you all the rage in the world, until a second later, when they cover it up for the sake of their social image.
8. A disconnected, half-listening face
Most of the time, narcissists are only interested in giving you their full attention when you have something to offer. They're usually most charismatic and attentive for first impressions, or when helping someone gives them some kind of status or reward.
So, you'll likely notice during all interactions that they take on this specific, half-listening facial expression when you're sharing. They're occasionally making eye contact, looking over your shoulder for something better, and even yawning, uninterested in whatever you have to say.
9. The look of superiority
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When someone thinks that they're better than you and puts a lot of self-worth into maintaining that status, their face always reveals it. They're smug, giving half-smiles when you share about yourself, and keeping their posture just a little bit higher than yours.
Even if you don't notice the facial expression immediately, someone who thinks they're smarter, more successful, or more important than you will always make you feel it. You feel self-doubt and embarrassment for simply being yourself, not because you have anything to be ashamed about, but because you're soaking in the negative aura of a narcissistic person.
10. The victim face
When it works in their best interest, you'll often see the victim face of a narcissist who needs your pity. Whether it's an attempt to control your behavior, hide their own misbehavior, or gain attention when they're feeling insecure, their pity plays usually stem from something they're trying to cope with or avoid.
Especially when they're the ones being called out for bad, toxic behavior, they often play the victim to control the narrative and gaslight people into believing they're the people in need of pity.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
