Paraphrased:
The narcissist’s smirk is a subtle but telling expression that occurs when a narcissist experiences pleasure from manipulating or deceiving someone.
For narcissists, the smirk usually reflects contempt, which is a deep-seated disdain or lack of respect towards others. For narcissists contempt is tied to their belief in their own superiority. They view others who do not serve their needs as worthless or beneath them, showing a complete disregard for how their actions impact those around them.
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Article goes on to say the same smirk is also a non-narcissist’s sign of satisfaction at seeing justice served.
So will you be the Psych 101 student who is suddenly a psychoanalyst and labels people because they smirk, or will you understand that something you saw on lemmy doesn’t equip you to judge anyone?
A smirk is not the same as, what we’ll call here, the narcissist smirk. So no, not the same.
Found the Psych 101 student.
I would defy anyone to distinguish between the smirk the article describes - “a half-smile where one side of the lip lifts slightly” from the google definition of smirk - “a facial expression characterized by a subtle, often one-sided, upward curving of the mouth, often without showing teeth.”
Hmm… both definitions mention one side of the lip, but not which side. We can only hope that the good smirks are all on one side of the mouth, whereas the bad smirks are all on the other side.
Good catch! The internet loves simpe rules for whether somebody deserves a black hat or a white hat without pesky details like a thought process.
It’s interesting that you engage in attacks and then ask for a discussion. (I wonder if me saying that will cause you to again say found the psych 101 student.)
The attack is warranted. Seriously, the article you posted is about as reliable as an astrology chart.
I was wrong to call you the Psych 101 student, since you weren’t doing the Psych 101 student behavior I described. “They’re not the same thing” is more of a typical social media comment from someone who simply likes to argue, as you’re continuing to do. Not interested.
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Hello again narcissist, I’ll be explaining the difference for others who come along.
The ‘Duper’s Delight’ reaction is distinct as it is actually an extension of our prehistoric predatory behavior of stalking, the facial rictus exposes the teeth for biting and widens the eyes for pouncing. This is why it is almost impossible to suppress, as it is a very very ancient instinct. Also an antisocial instinct, one that unsettles other non-narcissists. Other stalking predators like big and domestic cats also display the same behavior almost identically, the exposed teeth and the pulled back eyelids. It’s all hunting behavior
What sets it apart for narcissists is that your complete lack of empathy means you see no issue using stalking behavior on basically anyone as you don’t see anyone else as actually human.
The ‘grin at justice done’ is a group communal agreement sign, the nod that what had to be done was done.
It is a social instinct, one that narcissists will never understand, like the shared yawn. Everyone in the group recognizes it and echoes it
“I read about psychology on the internet, so I can read peoples’ minds”
- You
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What’s the thing Elon does where he keeps his head lower, but looks up at the most extreme angle-of-eyeballs he can?
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Always funny to see the narcissists come out to muddy up their detection cues when they get leaked
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narcissism isn’t a gradient, you either are and display the behavior, or you are not and do not.
There are no ‘semi-narcissists’
Is there room for nuance in what TYPE of narcissist they are? Sure, I’ll grant.
The phrase you are being nudged towards is “false positive”.
“Anyone who disagrees with an article about X group must be in X group”
- Too many people
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The thing about narcissists is they are never as clever or subtle as they think they are. They get away with everything because their behaviors dysregulate decent people and make it easier to manipulate them. And while it’s obvious, in these little pleased gestures and exaggerated emotions, it still hurts to be manipulated and used. We seek closure to these events, they use that motivation to string the victims along. Terrible disorder.
This goes right up there with stock chart technical analysis. "It’s definitely this. Though it can also be this. Or that. And it depends on the person. And the context. And…
It’s so messy/noisy with variables, stuff like this just gives people false confidence that they know who/what someone is or what something represents. Psuedoscience
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“expression analysis” - 2025 phrenology
I literally just learned this in a Ted talk that youtube fed me yesterday or the day before. Here’s a fantastic example of that smirk.
Ted talks used to be amazing. Also, bringing up “post truth society” 13 years ago, before knowing how bad it would eventually get.
Used to be amazing. Then they asked everyone to replicate.
Here is what it looks like, in case you were wondering
I learned this one a few year ago, the hard way.
Oh no. I smile all the time. I guess I’ll die
