No matter how kind you are and how much you deserve good things, someone will always feel jealous of you. Sometimes jealousy is obvious, but other times, it’s hidden behind a smile. We’ve all felt jealous before, but most of us can keep it to ourselves and carry on. Not everyone can do that and dealing with an envious person can be challenging. Let’s explore these 15 signs that someone might secretly envy your success.
1. They’re competitive.
Jealousy can drive people to some pretty extreme behaviors. Like, constant competition—it’s not just about wanting what you have; it’s about wanting to outdo you in every aspect of life. They’re so focused on keeping up with you that they lose sight of their journey. It’s sad because it stems from their insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. So instead of celebrating your successes, they feel threatened, and that’s where the trouble begins. It’s important to recognize this behavior for what it is and not let it affect your sense of worth or success.
2. They’re fair-weather companions.
When people get jealous, they might lie and say they also accomplished what you did to make themselves feel better or to make you seem less successful. Others might back away because they can’t handle feeling envious. If someone already struggles with jealousy, seeing you succeed might make them feel even worse about themselves, leading them to avoid you instead of cheering you on.
3. They cut you off during a conversation.
Jealous people might interrupt, show dismissive body language, or change the subject suddenly during a conversation. They do this because they want to feel in control or more powerful. They’re scared of not getting enough attention or being overshadowed. So, they interrupt or steer the conversation to make themselves look better. This behavior shows they feel insecure and need reassurance, which can make conversations tense and damage relationships.
4. They humiliate you in the presence of other people.
Jealous people put others down in public to feel better about themselves. By making the other person look bad in front of others, they make themselves seem more important and make the other person seem less reliable. This happens because they want others to boost their self-esteem, even if it hurts someone else.
5. They love to gossip about you.
When people feel jealous, they might gossip and put others down. They spread rumors and say mean things about others to hide how they feel, which is insecure. It’s important to notice when someone gossips a lot because if they gossip about others around you, they’re definitely gossiping about you, too.
6. They want to be around you.
Some jealous people like to stick around the one they’re envious of. Studies say jealousy can make a relationship more robust, but it can also make it unhealthy. For example, if you’re at a party and you catch them staring (not in an admiring way, in a creepy way) at you at different points in the night. That’s clear that they’re attached to you and they cling like a leech so they can suck out some success for themselves.
7. They hate you for no apparent reason.
When someone feels jealous or insecure, they might start disliking people who seem successful or lucky, even if they didn’t do anything wrong. They might get upset about others’ advantages or accomplishments and start hating them for no good reason. Instead of facing their problems, they find it easier to blame others for being successful. Knowing this can help you deal with jealous people by understanding their (unfair, but real) POV.
8. They make snide comments.
Jealous people usually don’t come clean about feeling jealous and insecure. Instead, they find ways to release the negative energy they’re holding onto. It often sneaks out as sarcastic comments or remarks, that are almost always negative. And they don’t just aim these comments at you; they might target others, too. When someone’s jealous, those jealous thoughts take over their mind.
9. They are overly critical of you.
No matter how hard you try or how good you are at something, jealous people will always find faults in you. Even if your boss and coworkers praise you, a jealous colleague will only focus on your mistakes, ignoring all your hard work. They’re trying to ruin your happy moment, but don’t let their mean comments bring you down and affect your work. Just ignore them and keep being productive.
10. They bombard you with uncomfortable questions.
When you meet someone new, it’s normal for them to ask about you. But when someone’s jealous, they do it with bad intentions. They’ll ask you many questions, digging into your past, achievements, and dreams, trying to find fault in everything you say. They keep asking more questions, making you uneasy as the conversation continues.
11. They overemphasize their achievements.
Jealous people often brag about what they’ve done because they feel insecure. They want others to notice and praise them, hoping it will make them feel better about themselves. They might even make small achievements seem more significant to feel more important. But in the end, their constant need for attention and approval leads them to show off too much, sometimes losing sight of genuine connections and humility.
12. They copy you.
Psychology says that when someone copies you, it’s often seen as a form of admiration and flattery. But for jealous people, it’s not always about admiration. They might copy things like how you dress, walk, or talk. At first, you might feel good about it, but as it keeps happening, it can get annoying. When a jealous person buys the same shirt as you, it’s not to compliment you; they’re trying to compete.
13. They give you lots of fake compliments and praise.
Jealous people often give you fake compliments and praise to hide their envy. They might say you’re amazing for seemingly small stuff or make your accomplishments seem more significant than they are. But really, they’re not genuinely impressed. They want to make you think they’re supportive, so they use these fake friendly compliments to cover up their feelings of jealousy.
14. They’re good at making excuses.
When someone frequently makes excuses, especially in the context of your success, it could indicate an underlying jealousy. Instead of genuinely celebrating your achievements, they resort to downplaying them or attributing them to external factors to protect their ego. By deflecting attention away from your success, they attempt to maintain a sense of superiority or control in the relationship dynamic. These excuses serve as a veil for their jealousy, masking their true feelings of resentment or envy towards your achievements.
15. They tell you you’re lucky.
Jealousy can manifest in various ways, and withholding credit or downplaying someone’s achievements is one of them. When someone is envious of another person’s success or happiness, they might find it challenging to acknowledge the effort and dedication that person put in to achieve their goals. Instead, they attribute their accomplishments to luck or external factors, dismissing their hard work altogether. It’s important to recognize these signs and address them appropriately, whether it’s having a conversation with the person or setting boundaries to protect yourself from their negativity.
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