Mia Zhang
Have you ever met someone who’s simply unlikeable?
There’s no other way to describe them.
It’s draining to be around them and they’re somehow able to repel everyone that they interact with.
The worst part is they lack self-awareness and are unaware that their actions turn people off.
Some may even wonder why no one wants to speak to them.
Here are 10 behaviors these people often exhibit.
If you recognize some of these, it’ll help you navigate interactions with individuals who are difficult to be around.
1) They interrupt others
The first behavior difficult people exhibit is their tendency to interrupt others.
They don’t realize that they’re doing it because they believe they have the right to talk and speak over the other person.
They believe that what they have to say is more important.
What they don’t realize is this tells the other party that they’re not interested in hearing what they have to say.
They don’t value the conversation at all and are only keen on expressing their thoughts.
This self-centeredness characterizes people who are difficult to be around because they aren’t able to take the other party’s feelings into consideration.
Sometimes, this leads to the next behavior…
2) They’re condescending
Because they think they’re the center of the world, they feel that they know more than everyone else.
And this mindset affects how they interact with others.
They unknowingly take on a more condescending tone because they genuinely believe they’re better than everyone else.
You’ll notice that there’s a shift in their tone, perhaps they’ll increase their volume and come across as really arrogant.
You’ll end up feeling small and there’s no further desire to continue the conversation because no one wants to talk to someone who makes them feel like an idiot.
3) They’re impatient
People who are difficult to be around are usually really entitled.
They believe that things should be done quickly and have little patience for everything else.
I believe that a person’s character is reflected in the way they treat service staff.
And unlikeable people often tend to behave unkindly around service staff, especially when they have to wait slightly longer in line or for their food to arrive.
They may make audibly snide remarks, start scolding service staff, or even demand to speak to management over a minor inconvenience.
No one wants to be around someone like that.
Their attention span is also really short.
When you start sharing about your day, you’ll find that they’ll start losing interest and will be visibly impatient.
They’ll start fiddling with their hair, and their fingers, or start checking their phones and appear more interested in everything else but the conversation.
It’ll end up making the other person feel insignificant.
4) They’re passive-aggressive when they don’t get their way
Have you ever disagreed with someone or refused to help someone with something because of a legitimate reason (maybe you were tired or busy), and they just start being passive-aggressive?
It can get quite aggravating because they’re unable to accept no for an answer and will start getting personal.
You know that they’re upset but they’ll indirectly express their hostility and displeasure, making things really confusing and frustrating.
They refuse to address their concerns and will continue to frustrate you with their snide remarks, creating a very toxic environment for the people around them.
It’s no wonder why people will tend to avoid them.
5) They don’t like to apologize
Another classic behavior of someone difficult to be around is that they don’t like to apologize.
They refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and will not admit when they’re in the wrong.
Instead, they will blame other people for their mistakes.
They may end up playing the victim and attempt to gain sympathy from others.
The last thing they’ll do is apologize because their huge ego prevents them from doing that.
They firmly believe that they’re always in the right.
6) They have a very negative outlook on life
Have you ever met someone who never has anything positive to say?
Someone may have celebrated a milestone, such as getting married or having their first child, and they’ll have something negative to say about this.
Never mind that the other party is over the moon and everyone else is celebrating alongside them.
They know how to dampen the overall mood by making a negative remark.
And they do this because they genuinely think that if their life sucks, everyone else’s should as well.
This causes them to get bitter when someone appears happier than them.
Even though they may not be aware of their actions, they’re able to make people miserable by sharing their negative thoughts and perspectives on nearly every aspect of life.
7) They love gossiping about others
Difficult people often enjoy seeing others suffer from misfortune and will actively seek out the latest gossip within their community.
They love talking about people behind their backs and are always ready to exchange information about someone for another – even things that were told to them in confidence.
This naturally erodes trust with the people they interact with, because no secret is safe with them.
It also contributes to a very toxic environment where people begin to talk about others behind their backs.
People they interact with will always have to be on their guard, as they’ll never know if these difficult people are fishing for information or are genuinely concerned about their situations.
Usually, it’s easier to avoid them altogether.
8) They don’t respect boundaries
Because of their sense of entitlement, they don’t respect other people’s right to personal space and privacy.
They’ll tend to ask lots of nosey questions that may not be appropriate for that level of friendship and will keep asking to satisfy their curiosity.
I’ve seen unlikeable people talk to another person who has headphones on, fully expecting them to answer and getting offended if the other person with headphones gets mad at them for disturbing their peace.
At work, these people enjoy invading others’ personal space by intruding into their desk areas and striking up mindless chatter.
Boundaries are set for a reason, and it helps ensure that a person’s overall well-being is well taken care of by keeping negative things and people out.
By not respecting a person’s boundaries, it’s no wonder that difficult people tend to have very few individuals who would want to strike up conversations with them.
9) They lack empathy
Overall, one of the underlying reasons why difficult people behave this way is because they lack empathy.
They’re unable to care about another person’s feelings because they’re fixated on themselves.
There’s a lack of understanding and perhaps even an unwillingness to see things from the other person’s perspective.
Because of this, conversations become one-sided, interactions seem very selfish, and in general, hanging out with them gets very draining.
As a response, people tend to avoid them because they just naturally repel others away with their inability to care for others.
Concluding thoughts
Sometimes, we may be unaware of our actions because of the way we were brought up.
If you know someone who ticks off all the behaviors on this list, perhaps try talking to them about the way they’re making you feel.
It could be that no one has ever told them about what their behaviors are making others feel, which is why they’ve always behaved in this way.
So, you could be the one to break these habits.
Being aware and finally accepting that they’re the problem can take a while, but if this person is willing to change, it’s worth being patient.
