New York Post<\/a> some of the non-verbal signs which might suggest that your partner, parent, friend or foe might actually be a narcissist.<\/p>\n\u201cClinically, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a pattern of grandiosity, lack of empathy and a deep need for admiration. What most people call a \u2018narcissist\u2019 is someone whose sense of self depends on being seen as superior, special, or entitled,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n
She explains that there are around five different things you can notice which might give the game away, even without actually starting a conversation with the other person.<\/p>\n
While we can’t confirm anything from a brief interaction, since ‘real narcissism shows up as a pattern’ rather than a ‘single moment’, she suggests that consistent ‘eye scanning’ is a strong signal that you might be dealing with a narcissist.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThey\u2019re always looking around the room searching for better attention, even while you\u2019re speaking. That is called status scanning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another key sign, according to Rose, is smirking rather than smiling, since it can potentially suggest evaluation and superiority rather than simply being used to signal happiness or joy.<\/p>\n
![\"Regularly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHRmNTQxYzFi.webp\"\/)
Regularly smirking instead of smiling might just be a sign (Getty Stock)<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cOne corner of the mouth lifts slightly, almost like a half-smile, while the other side stays neutral. It\u2019s subtle and often very quick. Unlike genuine smiles, the eyes usually don\u2019t soften or crinkle.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when someone is trying to appear sympathetic or caring, a brief flash of that expression can leak out if they internally feel above the other person. It\u2019s like a crack in the mask, very quick, but very telling.”<\/p>\n
Facial expressions are seemingly key when it comes to identifying a narcissist, as the behaviour expert also suggests that exaggerated or performative expressions can be used to manipulate others.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cNarcissistic individuals often amplify signals of status, upright posture, controlled movements, strong eye contact and exaggerated confidence.”<\/p>\n
However, it isn’t just looking at someone’s face that can give the game away, as narcissists are also likely to be invasive in the way they stand or touch other people, often in a way to try and demonstrate dominance.<\/p>\n
Rose said: \u201cStanding slightly too close, touching someone early, or leaning in quickly can create psychological pressure. It forces the other person to either accept the intrusion or push back.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a behavioural perspective, it\u2019s a subtle dominance move, testing how easily someone\u2019s boundaries can be crossed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople with healthy social awareness usually calibrate distance based on comfort cues. Someone who repeatedly ignores those signals may be revealing something important about how they relate to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Lacking](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHRhNGQzYjUx.webp\"\/)
Lacking emotional intimacy is another indicator (Getty Stock)<\/p>\n
While most people would want to avoid confrontation and ignore this invasion into their personal space, that could be interpreted as compliance by the potential narcissist. <\/p>\n
Finally, the expert suggests that a lack of emotional intimacy is another hint that you might want to revaluate the person you’re speaking with because even if they’re not a narcissist, you probably don’t want someone who stares blankly at you when you’re upset. <\/p>\n
She concludes: \u201cIf you\u2019re being emotional and they just stare at you, no head tilt, no softening, no warmth, that\u2019s emotional detachment happening in real time.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy people show curiosity. They ask questions and listen, whereas narcissistic personalities often steer the conversation back to themselves. That moment can tell you a lot about someone\u2019s emotional orientation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, you can give people some slack if they show these sorts of behaviours once or twice, but once it becomes a more regular pattern, you might need to call them out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An expert has revealed five nonverbal signs that might suggest someone could be a narcissist. While the term…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":["post-547853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}