Yang, Ziyan, Sedikides, Constantine, Gu, Ruolei, Luo, Yu L.L., Wang, Yuqi, Yang, Ying, Wu, Mingzheng, and Cai, Huajian
Highlights • We used behavioral and ERP measures to explore how communal narcissists respond in social decision-making. • Communal narcissists explicitly (i.e., behaviorally) strive to maintain their grandiose self-views of benevolence. • Communal narcissists implicitly (i.e., neurophysiologically) express greater emotional sensitivity to unfairness. Abstract Communal narcissists claim a saintly status, but are they fairer than non-narcissists? In Study 1, high (vs. low) communal narcissists did not make more equitable offers and were not more likely to reject inequitable offers in an ultimatum game. However, they reported being more altruistic, judging fairness as a more important moral value, and being more morally outraged at unfairness. Their self-views did not match their behavior. These results were replicated in Study 2, where in addition high (vs. low) communal narcissists exhibited larger P3 amplitudes to inequitable (than equitable) offers, suggesting that they were more emotionally sensitive to unfairness. Their neurophysiological reactions did not match their behavior. The findings clarify the construct of communal narcissism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]