Grisha Perelman meets Paris Hilton

Meet two characters: Grisha and Paris.

A hundred-year-old mathematical problem called the Poincaré Conjecture conceded to the probing mind of 40-year-old mathematician, Grigori (aka Grisha) Perelman. For this, the most prestigious prize for Mathematics, one of the four Fields Medals given by the International Mathematical Union every four years, was given to Perelman this year. He, however, declined the award by "disappearing into the woods," issuing a statement saying in effect that it is understandable why to some, self-promotion is a positive thing but it is just not so for him. To most who knew Perelman, they all think that solving one of the seven age-old mathematical problems for which the Clay Institute will give million-dollar prizes for each problem (no word yet if Perelman will accept), was enough for him.

Meanwhile, most people who will read this column have probably heard of Paris Hilton and they will NOT be referring to the hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower. After a thorough research of details of her reputation that would be of some relevance to a science column such as this one, I have come up with the assessment that this woman is well-known for, hmm, being well-known. To science, she has affirmed what most people have always known about celebrities – that they love attention on themselves in such a measure that would tip the Richter scale of self-love.

Perelman and Hilton will probably never meet but if they did, the scientific community (and a lot of men who will insist that they have suddenly developed an urge to be interested in science) would probably drool over the chance of listening to their conversation, if there would be any. Imagine, one who disdains any sort of attention on himself, despite the validation by his peers of the deep value of his work, while the other considers fame as the main source of her calories in order to feel alive.

As is currently being reported in the science news of major dailies worldwide, Drew Pinsky and S. Mark Young of the University of Southern California, studied the responses of 200 anonymous celebrities who took the Narcissistic Personality Inventory test (yes, there is such a thing). This test rated "components" of narcissism, which gauged their levels of self-love namely: superiority, exhibitionism, entitlement, vanity, authority, exploitativeness, and self-sufficiency. Their work will be included in the forthcoming issue of Journal of Research in Personality. We all love ourselves to varying degrees – that is a given – but the research confirmed the common perception that celebrities love themselves more than the average person loves himself/herself. These celebrities, according to the scientists, "crave attention, are overconfident, behave erratically and lack empathy." The surprise, however, is that it is not the celebrity status that made them regard themselves so indulgingly, but they were already narcissistic to start with, that is why they are attracted to fields that thrive on attention, like show business.

Another result worth noting is that female celebrities are significantly more narcissistic than the males, with an overwhelming portion of their self-importance resting on physical appearance. This could perhaps be explained by the evolutionary imperative in the human female to be attractive for mate selection, but now carried to the extreme. Even more interesting was their finding that the musicians in the group, assigned to be the ones with the highest skill level required, rated the least narcissistic, while reality television stars, assigned to be the least talented or skilled group" are the most narcissistic. This see-saw relationship between talent and self-love is something I think that could also be observed in excellent artists who are so shy when they are no longer "performing," who regard their work not as mere indulgence of self but a craft to be expressed and cultivated.

Before you rush to judgments, you should know that the scientists distinguished between the level of narcissism of the respondent-celebrities and the level considered to be so severe that is a psychiatric illness called Narcissistic Personality Disorder. They also wanted to differentiate between narcissists and egotists. They said narcissists love themselves excessively to make up for something they find lacking in their inner lives. Egotists simply think the world of themselves, with or without, shall we say, "Intel inside" to warrant such a claim.

There was a criticism raised that since these "reality" shows are supposed to be portrayed as reality, young people might think that self-love exhibited by reality show celebrities is normal. I agree with the criticism since saying that is normal is like saying the Guimaras oil spill is a common shipping occurrence. I personally have not developed a taste for reality TV. I see it as a poor TV contemporary adaptation of Lord of the Flies, with commercials. But my personal taste is my own business. What is more useful for us as a society is how this study could help celebrities and those who work with them, to get a grip of themselves so that their reflection will not always reveal just solo images of themselves, but also the larger stage that is life and the other players in it, in their equally important roles. More importantly, we should be aware of the role of popular culture, dominated by reality TV now, and the direction toward which it could lead young people, to treat narcissism in those proportions as normal, and even an advantage.

I do not think we can count on Mr. Perelman to save us from the perils of reality TV culture. Besides, after solving a hundred-year-old mathematical problem, he should be entitled to go to the woods if that is what he wants. Heck, he is entitled to build his own personal Hilton in the woods if he wants. If you have reached this part of the column and you still have to ask if we can count on Ms. Hilton, this will help you decide swiftly – her latest album which was labeled with a title of such imagination and self-deprecation. It is called "Paris" and it is not about the French Revolution.

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