Some people don’t just send excited texts or make phone calls to relay good news. There is an endless litany of stories, photos, and “casual” comments designed to make sure no one around them misses a single detail about how great they are.
We asked people about braggers in their lives, and the little signs that always give them away. So here are 12 habits that almost always reveal when someone is bragging way too much.
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Turning Instagram into a highlight reel of their wealth
They don’t just post a few photos of their latest vacation. They take a million photos showing every detail, from the champagne in first class to the infinity pool to their designer suitcase next to a hotel window view. And if they stop at Starbucks for coffee, they make sure to snap a photo of their Starbucks cup next to their luxury watch.
Working their salary into unrelated conversations
They will latch onto any part of a conversation to drop in something about their income or salary. A discussion about weekend plans becomes, “Oh I wish I could come, but my accountant told me my bonus was so huge this year, I have to think about paying taxes differently.” Nobody asks about their paycheck, but they’re going to mention it anyway.
Name-dropping to boost their own image
When discussing normal, everyday topics, they will casually mention some high-profile, high-status person to give themselves some clout: “Oh yeah, my friend who works at Google mentioned…,” or “When I was at my cousin’s wedding at the Ritz-Carlton…” The point of the conversation isn’t to share the story; it’s to make sure everyone knows they know those people.
Hijacking other people’s celebrations
If someone else posts about a promotion or graduation, a bragger will say something like, “Congrats! That reminds me of the time I became the youngest person to manage a team in my company’s history.” They love to jump on other people’s good news to make it about themselves.
Bragging about purchases through “context”
A bragger never just says, “I got a new Tesla.” Instead, they casually work it into a sentence like, “Parking my Tesla downtown is such a pain.” It’s bragging, but done in a roundabout way so that they don’t actually have to own up to the fact that they are bragging.
Bragging through fake frustrations
Many braggers love humblebragging disguised as complaints: “It’s so exhausting managing my three rental properties,” or “I can’t believe how stressful it is planning trips to Europe every summer.” The “problem” is really just a brag in disguise.
Making group gifts about themselves
When it’s time to give someone a gift as a group, braggers feel they need to make their part of the gift outshine everything else. They will add an obnoxiously large bow or use Sharpie to write their name so giant that it completely covers everyone else. They also feel that they have to mention how much they “personally spent.”
Turning every story into a competition
If someone mentions they finally paid off their car, a bragger will retort with something like, “Oh, I paid off mine last year, and my second car too.” They always need to top the conversation, even when it makes others feel small.
Over-describing their work to sound more important
They won’t simply say, “I work in finance.” Instead, they explain their entire day in five minutes full of confusing words and phrases about “portfolio diversification” and “forecasting global foreign market trends.” The point is less to share and more to sound so fancy and intimidating.
Bringing up the same achievement at every gathering
They ran a marathon three years ago? They got an award in college? It’s bound to be brought up no matter what the conversation is about. No matter how off-topic the discussion is, they’ll find some way to return to that one time.
Fishing for compliments with calculated hints
They’ll say something like, “It’s so hard to keep this diamond clean,” or drop a luxury shopping bag in plain view so someone will ask about it. Once the other person finally asks about it, they launch into a full-blown brag as if they were “forced” to answer.
Getting visibly upset when people don’t react with awe
If they don’t get an over-the-top reaction to an announcement, they sulk or start to talk louder and brag even more. For them, lack of praise feels like an insult, so they will do whatever it takes to draw attention back to themselves.
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