New research reveals the psychological profile of reality dating television stars

People who participate in reality dating television programs tend to have higher levels of grandiose narcissism, derive much of their self-worth from physical appearance, and experience less anxiety about romantic rejection. A recent study evaluating the psychological profiles of people who appear on these shows suggests that these traits help them navigate the heavily scrutinized environment of televised romance. The findings were published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.

Reality television dating programs place individuals in highly visible, competitive environments where they seek romantic partners. These broadcasts have become a prominent part of popular entertainment over the past two decades. The format provides a controlled setting to observe how people form emotional bonds, conform to social norms, and express contemporary ideals of attraction.

Researchers wanted to understand the psychological characteristics that distinguish the people who volunteer for these public displays of intimacy from the general public. Leonie Schlebusch, Florian Hutzler, and Sarah Schuster, researchers at the Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, led the investigation into how certain personality traits relate to participating in these programs.

To build a psychological profile, the researchers focused on three main concepts: narcissism, attachment styles, and the sources of a person’s self-esteem. Narcissism is generally separated into two subcategories. Grandiose narcissism is characterized by self-assurance, a desire for dominance, an assertive communication style, and a strong need for admiration.

Vulnerable narcissism shares a similar self-absorption but is marked by very different emotional expressions. Individuals with vulnerable narcissistic traits often display hypersensitivity, social insecurity, and persistent self-doubt.

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Attachment theory describes how people form emotional bonds and respond to intimacy. Originally developed to understand how infants interact with their caregivers, the theory also applies to adult romantic relationships. People with high attachment anxiety often fear rejection, worry about their partners’ feelings, and seek constant reassurance. People with high attachment avoidance tend to feel uncomfortable with emotional closeness and prefer to maintain distance in relationships.

The final concept the researchers measured was contingent self-esteem. This refers to the specific areas in life that individuals rely on to feel good about themselves. Some people base their self-worth on internal values, academic competence, or family support. Others rely heavily on external factors like physical appearance, the approval of others, or outperforming peers in competitions.

The researchers recruited 129 individuals to complete a series of online questionnaires. Fifty-eight of these individuals had participated in at least one reality dating program between 2017 and 2024. The remaining 71 participants served as a control group, meaning they had no experience on such shows. The participants in the television group were around 32 years old on average, while the control group averaged 27 years old.

To find the television participants, the research team distributed flyers at events and venues associated with dating programs in Salzburg, Munich, and Cologne. The participants answered standardized questions designed to measure their levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, their attachment anxiety and avoidance, and the specific factors they relied on for self-esteem.

The research team then used statistical models to compare the responses between the two groups. They adjusted their calculations to account for demographic differences, such as age and education level, to isolate the effects of the psychological traits. In addition to the main questionnaires, the research team included open-ended follow-up questions exclusively for the dating program participants.

These questions asked the participants to describe their motivations for appearing on the broadcasts and whether the experience altered their self-perception. A few individuals provided their answers through brief voice messages or video interviews rather than written text.

The statistical analysis revealed that higher levels of grandiose narcissism strongly predicted whether someone was in the dating program group. For every standard unit increase in grandiose narcissism, the likelihood of a person being in the television group more than doubled.

Vulnerable narcissism was not a statistically significant predictor of participation in the dating programs. The researchers suggest that the self-doubt and sensitivity to criticism associated with vulnerable narcissism might make highly public television environments unappealing. Grandiose narcissism, on the other hand, comes with greater emotional independence and a drive for self-promotion.

The study also revealed that dating program participants had lower levels of attachment anxiety compared with the control group. Individuals who experience less fear of romantic rejection appear more willing to engage in televised dating. These environments require participants to handle emotional uncertainty and public visibility, which may deter those who require frequent reassurance from their partners.

When looking at self-esteem, the researchers found that relying on physical appearance for self-worth was highly associated with dating program participation. Participants who tied their self-esteem to their looks were much more likely to have appeared on one of these shows. This aligns with the visual nature of the television programs, which often act as platforms to showcase physical attractiveness.

Other external sources of self-esteem did not yield statistically significant differences between the two groups. Although the researchers initially thought that highly competitive people might be drawn to the format, self-worth based on competition was not a reliable predictor. Relying on the approval of others initially seemed to differ between the groups, but this difference disappeared once the researchers accounted for age and education.

The responses to the qualitative follow-up questions provided more context for the statistical results. The most common reasons cited for joining a show were adventure, fun, and the desire to gain followers or visibility on social media platforms.

Although some participants mentioned hoping to meet a romantic partner, stating “The aim was actually to get to know someone,” many viewed love as a potential side effect rather than their primary goal. Other participants were more direct about their intentions, explicitly stating their goal was to “Generate reach on Instagram” or simply declaring “Let’s go on an adventure.”

When asked whether appearing on television altered their self-perception, the majority reported no lasting psychological changes. Many expressed sentiments like “I’m the same person I was before.” Among those who did report a shift, some noted an increase in self-confidence or a greater sense of emotional maturity.

A few participants reported negative effects on their self-esteem, which they generally attributed to public criticism from viewers. One individual explained, “My self-esteem has suffered a lot from people who don’t know me.”

The study relies on a modest number of participants, and the control group differed demographically from the television participants. The individuals in the control group were generally younger, more highly educated, and more likely to be students. Although the researchers adjusted their statistical models to account for these differences, variations in life stage and social environment may still influence the results.

The measurement tool used to assess vulnerable narcissism in this study had low internal reliability. This means the questions may not have captured the trait as consistently as desired. This measurement issue could obscure a true relationship between vulnerable narcissism and television appearances. Future investigations could use different assessment tools and recruit larger groups of individuals with diverse educational backgrounds.

The study, “Narcissism on the Beach? Attachment Style, Personality, and Self-Esteem Contingencies of Dating-Show Participants,” was authored by Leonie Schlebusch, Florian Hutzler, and Sarah Schuster.