The Bliss of a Quieter Ego

We live in an age of loud egos. Scholars have documented a large increase since the late 1970s in the percentage of people with a narcissistic personality, a trend that is especially clear among young adults. Social media has made it possible to amplify that trait far and wide, to the extent that we now have an entire cultural class of people we call “influencers” dedicated to broadcasting themselves via new technology. And that new class constantly generates new aspirants to membership: According to one survey, more than half of young people today say they want to be an influencer.