So I read jprussell's blog post and walked away feeling totally confused. Not a single piece of it made the least lick of sense to me. But then, causticus, you said, I personally think this casual narcissism is an evolutionary trait that helps us avoid constantly slipping into a state of existential despair. Well! I think you must be on to something, since "constantly slipping into a state of existential despair" is something I understand very well! So consider this a data point that there is maybe something to your "inverse relationship between narcissism and despair" theory.