It’s not always easy to tell when someone secretly dislikes you, especially when they smile at you every day, but there are some signs that they actually hate you.
A conversation that never quite finishes
There’s no way you’ll get the last word with a person like this. Each time you get to the end of a disagreement, they still have another point to make, even though it’s just the same thing they’ve already said three times before.
There’s no point in changing the subject to something completely unrelated. They’ll only drag the conversation back, and it’s because they seem rather uncomfortable with you having the final say. They always have to be on top because they see you as less than them.
A different story in front of everyone
They might act like your idea is brilliant in private on Monday, but then come Tuesday, they’ll act like it’s utterly ridiculous in front of everyone. They’ll act confused, as though they can’t understand why you’d suggest such a thing.
No, they don’t have short-term memory loss, and no, they probably haven’t changed their mind. When they keep agreeing in private but disagreeing in public, their feelings become very telling. They don’t actually like you.
The joke that only goes one way
The embarrassing thing that happened to you five years ago is apparently still hilarious today. At least, that’s how they see it, as they keep bringing it up. They’ll happily make little jokes about your intelligence and your appearance. They’ll pretend it’s all harmless fun.
But as soon as you make a little joke about them, they’ll act as though you’ve crossed the line. They can’t handle any comments directed at them. Yet they’re fine with making comments about you. Someone who dislikes you enjoys making you the joke without being one themselves.
A surprisingly selective memory
It doesn’t matter how many times you tell them that there’s an important date coming up. It somehow manages to slip their mind, every single time. Funny thing is, this person seems to remember everything about everyone else, and it’s only things about you that they forget.
They also don’t have issues remembering something embarrassing you said three months ago. Anything that matters to you disappears from their memory. Sure, they might simply be forgetful. It’s just a little strange that their forgetfulness seems to be rather picky.
Someone else enters the room
You might notice something happens whenever another person walks into the room. Everything’s fine while you’re talking to this person, but as soon as someone else enters, you’ve now become invisible. They turn around and start asking the newcomer questions.
They completely abandon whatever you were saying without giving so much as an introduction. The strangest part is how quickly they change when the new person disappears. Now it’s like they’ve remembered how to have a conversation with you. They just can’t stand you, really.
Concern with an unexpected audience
They’ll claim that they’re terribly worried about you. That’s why they told half the office about your personal problems. They just wanted to make sure you were okay. You can’t even question them about why they told everyone your problems because they’ll insist they only want to help.
But that’s not what people who care do. No, people who are genuinely concerned will want to talk to the person who’s struggling and try to figure out the problem, rather than simply spread stories behind their back. A bad friend seems to only care when there’s an audience involved.
A correction nobody needed
Whether you visited Chicago in 2018 or 2019 isn’t really important. But apparently it’s really important to this one person. Yes, they seem determined to interrupt each of your stories to announce that you have the year wrong, and they might correct your pronunciation, too.
What makes it so annoying is that they don’t seem very interested in what you’re actually saying. They’re far keener on finding the next little mistake in what you say. They’re even more excited to point out these problems when there are other people listening.
The blame arrives remarkably quickly
Anytime that things go wrong, you’re supposedly the one to blame. The restaurant reservation gets mixed up, and they immediately ask whether you booked the wrong date. Another person forgets to bring something to a party and, well, you were supposed to remind them.
Someone who hates you won’t actually accuse you of anything directly. They’ll choose to ask questions that make everyone wonder whether you’re responsible. It’s interesting how this person is very rarely interested in hearing your side of things, and only wants to blame you.
An achievement that goes unmentioned
Watch out for their reaction when you share good news. A person who doesn’t like you will say something like, ‘That’s nice,’ and then they’ll immediately change the subject. It’s like they don’t care that you might’ve spent months working toward that achievement.
They won’t bother asking a single question about it, and they might even begin talking about something they’ve accomplished instead. It’s even worse when you notice how enthusiastic they are about other people’s successes. They don’t want to acknowledge your contributions at all.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
10 phrases people say when they don’t actually like you
People often give themselves away with the words they choose, especially when they are trying to hide how they really feel. These ten phrases are the quiet signs that someone doesn’t actually like you.
10 phrases people say when they don’t actually like you
