Do you have Main Character Syndrome? People who believe they are the protagonist in their life are happier than those who see themselves as sidekicks, study finds

If you like to picture yourself dancing in the rain or standing on the front of a cruise ship, then you might just have a case of 'main character syndrome'.

But scientists now say that living your life like you're the protagonist can actually be good for your mental health.

The researchers from the University of Missouri found that people who view themselves as the main character rather than side figure have higher levels of overall wellbeing.

In their paper, the researchers write: 'Such individuals feel more autonomous, more competent and effective, and also experience better relational satisfaction with others.'

What's more, even telling a story in which you figure as the main character is enough to boost your sense of psychological satisfaction. 

In psychology, the term 'narrative identity' refers to the way we view our own role in the story of our lives.

As the researchers point out, traditionally it had always been assumed that people saw themselves as the main character of the story.

However, it is also possible that people might see themselves as playing only a minor role in a larger story, or a side role in someone else's story. 

The researchers designed three experiments to measure the impact of narrative identity on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.

In the first, 385 undergraduate university students filled out a questionnaire which asked them to rate their sense of being the main character.

They were asked on a scale of one to five whether they were a 'minor character' versus 'major character,' 'side character' versus 'primary character,' and 'background character' versus 'lead character'.

This test revealed that participants who perceived themselves as a major character experienced significantly increased levels of need satisfaction and wellbeing. 

Notably, a higher level of 'major character perception' was also an indicator of better wellbeing in four weeks' time, suggesting that this was a long-term significant sign of psychological satisfaction. 

In their paper, published in Journal of Research in Personality, the researchers write: 'Conversely, those who see themselves as minor characters are more likely to feel thwarted in getting these needs satisfied, a condition associated with diminished self-integration and wellbeing.' 

In a second experiment, 326 students were asked to fill out a survey assessing their wellbeing two times – before and after recalling a story in which they were either a major or minor character.

The researchers found that there was a significant difference in the results of the before and after questionnaires depending on what kind of story was told.

Those who told stories with themselves as a main character experienced significant increases in wellbeing and satisfaction of needs after recalling the story.

On the other hand, those who recalled times they felt like a minor character showed significant decreases across those measures. 

In a third experiment, 298 participants were asked to describe three goals they were pursuing and rate their motivations for doing so.

The participants then repeated the main character and wellbeing surveys before writing a story describing themselves as the main character in their life. 

Those with higher major character perceptions pursued goals that were meaningfully aligned with their values and showed higher levels of self-motivation, the experts found.  

Likewise, analysis of the written narratives showed that those with more of a main character complex felt more control over the world and their actions, also called 'agency'. 

The idea that becoming the 'main character' can give people more agency is something that has long spread widely on social media.  

On TikTok, some people describe what they call the 'main character' method which aims to interpret all of their life events as moments in a running TV show, like 'Sex and the City'. 

In one video, a TikTok user says: 'I started living my life so every day was part of the plot.

'When you live your life like it's a season like a series, everything bad that happens your mindset completely changes and it goes "well of course, this is just for the plot".'

Likewise, since 2019 the phrase 'romanticise your life' has been a frequent call for people to act more like the main character of their own personal TV show. 

And while these ideas might lack some of the rigorous scientific backing, they do mirror the researchers' core finding that major character perception is linked to increased agency. 

The researchers don't comment on whether there is anything you can do to improve your sense of being the main character.

However, they do note that 'the way in which an individual perceives themselves as a character in their life story is likely to impact their wellbeing.'

The researchers write: 'When people see themselves as being the agentic force in their lives and make decisions for themselves, as major characters do, rather than being swept about by external forces (and other people), they are more integrated and fully functioning selves.'