Mood News.

Byline: Lois B. Morris

Narcissist Alert

People can spot a narcissist in a photograph. For a study by Simine Vazire, an assistant professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and her colleagues, people viewed photos of 160 men and women, then guessed whether they had various narcissistic tendencies. More often than chance would predict, these judgments were right, reflecting the results of personality tests the men and women had taken, as well as assessments of them by close associates. The study authors report that certain cues"a neat, organized appearance; flashy, revealing clothing; greater adornment (e.g., makeup); and expensive, stylish clothes"were linked with the "vanity, exhibitionism, and status-seeking" that are characteristic of narcissism. (Other traits include high extroversion combined with low agreeableness.) Although narcissists can be self-serving, some of their attributes are associated with positive qualities such as leadership, the researchers note.

Eating Urges

When women are tempted by their favorite foods, their brains can't say no, or so a new study suggests. On different occasions, Gene-Jack Wang, a senior scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, and his colleagues scanned women's and men's brains after an 18-hour fast.

The participants were exposed to the sight, the smell, and brief tastes of their favorite foods. One time, they simultaneously tried to shift their thoughts away from food. Both men and women said that this quelled their cravingbut, surprisingly, the ...