Star Wars fans and video game geeks 'more likely to be narcissists', study finds

If you score highly on the Nerd Engagement Scale you are more likely to show signs of neurotic behavior

Christopher Petrone, of San Diego, CA, towering over attendees in his handmade, to-scale Chewbacca costume, during the 45th annual San Diego Comic-Con (Getty)

Those who take part in “geeky events” are more likely to have an “elevated grandiose” level of narcissism, according to a study conducted by the University of Georgia.

Psychologists examined the personality traits of those who turn to “geek culture”, developing a Geek Culture Engagement Scale and a Geek Identity Scale to help quantify the figures.

It was found that those who scored highly on both scales were more likely to narcissists.

Subjects are scored on a scale of one to five, depending on how often they take part in activities such as live action role playing games, Dungeons and Dragons, cosplaying, puppetry, robotics - and enjoying things such as video games and Star Wars.

Writing in the Public Library of Science One journal, Jessica McCain, the scientist who led the research said: “Geek culture is a subculture of enthusiasts that is traditionally associated with obscure media like Japanese animation, science fictions and video games.

"However, geek culture is becoming increasingly mainstream. In the past year alone, New York Comic-Con, one of the premier geek conventions in the United States, attracted over 130,000 attendees.

"Our findings suggest that geek media is especially attractive to narcissists, independent of demographic variables."

The research was conducted across 2,354 people attending a science fiction and fantasy convention in Georgia.

Those behind the study said the findings were conclusive in establishing a link between those who scored highly on the Geek Scale and those who showed higher levels of neuroticism and non-clinical depression.