Between empathy and ego: Are narcissists perceived as less emotionally intelligent?

Are narcissists perceived as less emotionally intelligent? We examined how other-perceived emotional intelligence (EI) relates to grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, self-perceived trait EI, and ability EI in 163 adults, each rated by up to two close others (Nrater = 296). Individuals perceived as emotionally intelligent often did not necessarily perform better on ability-based EI tests, but they did have more positive self-perceived trait EI. Vulnerable narcissism broadly correlated negatively with other-rated EI, while grandiose narcissism only correlated with other-ratings of emotionality and well-being. We found some evidence that highly grandiose individuals are perceived as less empathic and emotionally understanding than their self-perceived trait and ability EI may suggest. Connections between narcissism and EI differ markedly between conceptualizations of both constructs.