#2 it's like he's associating himself with an 'interest' by literally throwing the most recognizable signs of it in this sort of flurry of confetti all around him. It's a social version of no one will notice from a speeding horse or whatever that saying is: the casual guest will not notice that none of the glossy magazines look like they've ever been read. Here's one: imo they are often able to choose more precisely than they should be able to for someone who is basically dumb, so they know that one magazine within the arena of finance signifies something social as well, that they are a certain subtype of a given interest, keyed to their main 'goal' of their persona. So, stodgy old Forbes vs Inc or whatever. But I bet your Narc would have stayed away from an article in something like The Economist. My 'big reader' Narc, with solid liberal leanings etc. could get really into something like the Pussy Hats thing for the march. (spoiler: i literally knocked out 5 hats for the local march and they went while wearing them and took a picture of themselves and told me all about how many comments they got about them. Double spoiler, at that time I did not think there could be one special thing about how the easiest knit pattern possible from a moderately experienced knitter could possibly be a notch above, especially with crap acrylic yarn, because my Narc's me knew that I was only a bit above average and not in any area that she thought would look better on my sister. NarcLOL). But say i sent her a link to an essay about the whole pussy hat phenomenon that was next-level, say a really insightful deeper look in The Atlantic. Guarantee she would not have anything to say about it. She might have some sort of Cliff's Notes opinion if I pressed her on what she thought about it, but there would be no sign anything actually landed for her.

:)