Maybe size does matter: a new academic study has found that the size of one’s signature is positively correlated with narcissistic traits, and while the authors admit it’s a stretch, they feel this can in turn predict whether CFOs will engage in certain problematic behaviors that affect the quality of financial reporting, according to CFO.com. 

The study, which was conducted by business and accounting professors from North Carolina and Maryland, took 63 subjects from two junior-level accounting courses, who participated in the study in exchange for up to $5. Each signed their name on a consent form and then filled out a personality test that is often used by psychologists to measure narcissistic personality traits. From there, they were randomly and anonymously paired with another study participant, who were each allocated $2.50. This was the default allocation. However, they were told that it was up to them to decide what to report to the other participant on what the default allocation was, and that their partner would not know what the true value of the default allocation was, and so the amount they reported would determine how much they would actually take home, believing the other would simply get the difference. 

What they found was the participants with larger signatures were more willing to underreport the initial allocation to their partner, thereby gaining more money at their expense. These same people tended to score higher on the test that measured narcissism, “confirming that individuals with larger signatures tended to exhibit traits associated with narcissism.”

 The study’s authors acknowledged the limits of their study, but said the link between signature size and narcissism was an interesting one that was worth exploring further:

 “While it is a stretch to draw strong conclusions from the results for specific questions or to extrapolate from undergraduates to CFOs, the statements that are most highly correlated with signature size are descriptively interesting because they suggest the types of attributes that may be associated with a tendency to misreport. Presumably, a manager who is willing to misreport would likely also be one who feels that they can easily manipulate others, talk their way out of anything, and make others believe whatever they want.”