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Abstract
Individuals in the United States spend increasingly more time online and in virtual worlds, averaging 20.5 hours per week (Ofcom, 2015). I test a potential explanatory model for this shift, the Great Fantasy Migration hypothesis (GFM). The GFM proposes that the move to a virtual or fantasy realm is driven by a combination of high levels on narcissism and low levels of trust or confidence in the world. Virtual or fantasy realms allows esteem needs to be met without the level of challenge that it takes to meet these needs in the real world. In Study 1 (N=300) I tested participants levels of grandiose narcissism, pessimism, geek culture engagement, and time on social media. Study 2 (N=600) served as a preregistered replication of Study 1 with the addition of items testing the effects of gender and positive emotionality. Both studies supported the GFM.