Trying to stand out is normal. But some people do it badly. They do things that make them stand out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons. We conducted a survey, and people shared some insecure behaviors they have seen others exhibit to seem interesting. Have you noticed anyone doing these things lately or caught yourself doing one or two?
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Making every story sound like a personal triumph
Some people love telling stories & acting like they’re the hero. They’ll talk about how they went to the store. And then, somehow, they “saved the day” by helping a confused stranger pick out oat milk. They’re always the main character in every story. Even if that story’s plot is just them standing in line at Trader Joe’s.
Talking about how misunderstood they are
These people will claim that people never know how to take them. Or they might say something about everyone thinking they’re intense. However, this isn’t because of anything that happened. It’s more of a general warning. It’s almost like they’re hoping you’ll feel lucky for getting them. But really, this just reeks of insecurity.
Constantly bringing up how busy they are
You’ll ask what they’ve been up to & they’ll give you a monologue. They’ve been swamped with meetings. They constantly have projects to deal with. You know how it is…except you don’t, because they’re never able to explain the stuff they’re doing. It’s just “things.” And really, that sounds like they’re trying to hide the fact they’re not actually that busy.
Overusing quotes from obscure books or movies
It’s cool when someone shares a clever line from a book you’ve never read. But only sometimes. Other times, it feels like they’re relying on other people’s words to sound smarter. Can’t they say something important? They have nothing of value to provide themselves.
Acting overly mysterious on purpose
After you ask them a normal question, they give you a cryptic answer. It could be something as simple as, “Where’d you grow up?” Their response? “That’s a long story.” No, it’s not. These kinds of people act like everything about them is a secret when it’s really not. And that’s obvious. It just makes them seem like they’re scared to show their true self.
Mentioning past friendships with “crazy” people
There are some people who always talk about “toxic” or “chaotic” ex-friends. They make it seem like they’re the calm one who just attracts drama. Seriously? Every story has someone else as the problem. It happens so much that you can’t help but wonder. Are they describing other people? Or are they insecure about their own problems?
Randomly switching up their personality
Every month, they’re someone different. They like crystals & incense in January. In February, they’re all about espresso shots & start-up grindset. Each month brings a new version of them. But not necessarily for fun. Instead, it’s because they’re still poking around, trying to land on something that finally makes them “interesting.” It’s exhausting to keep up. And so clearly fake.
Talking about how much they hate small talk
These people will sit next to you at a party & immediately tell you that they hate small talk. Cool. And yet, here they are, still doing it. But now they’ve added a disclaimer to it. Nobody really enjoys small talk, and that’s okay. Yet having to tell other people suggests you hate it because you have nothing important to say. Lean into it or skip the convo entirely.
Always claiming to be old souls
They’ll say they like records or hate TikTok. They’ll talk about how they prefer real conversations over texts, which is fine, of course. But you know what’s coming when they say they were “born in the wrong generation.” It’ll be 20 minutes on why they’re better than their peers. Ugh. They’re only unhappy with the modern world because they’re unhappy in themselves.
Making everything a personality quiz
Some people treat astrology or Myers Briggs like they’ve got PhDs in it. They’ll blame other people’s actions on their horoscopes like it makes sense. Does it, though? They don’t really care about your behavior. Instead, they want to feel clever for connecting dots you didn’t even know existed. It’s silly.
Casually mentioning how people always copy them
They love claiming how everyone’s doing what they’ve been doing for years. It doesn’t matter that nobody was even talking about them. Somehow, it turns into a whole thing. Their taste always gets borrowed & copied. Really? They’re just saying this to keep score and feel better about themselves.
Dropping accomplishments that don’t fit the conversation
Whatever the topic, they’ll find a way to talk about their achievements. They rely on these achievements to prove themselves. Because, truthfully, they’re unhappy with the way they are, and they hope you won’t see that. It’s not even humblebragging. At least that would be excusable.
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