I don’t know about you, but I feel like it’s pretty easy to be a likable person. Be kind to other people, show interest in their lives, be your authentic self, and don’t have your head so far up your own backside that you can’t see the light of day. It’s relatively simple, right? Unfortunately, there are way too many out there with these obnoxious personality traits that make them completely and utterly unpalatable.
1. They’re total know-it-alls.
Is there anything worse than someone who has literally never used the phrase “I don’t know” in their entire lives? I don’t care how smart you are or how well-read — you’re never going to be an expert on every single topic out there. It takes humility and emotional maturity to be like, “Yeah, you know what? I actually have no idea about that!” Sadly, there are plenty of people who have such massive egos that they instead wax poetic about anything and everything even if they’re a) completely wrong and b) talking out of their backsides. If your eyes didn’t start rolling back in your head the minute you read this one, you’re a better person than I am.
2. Everything is a competition with them.
You found the perfect pair of boots this weekend for 50% off, but they found an even better pair and got a 75% discount. You saved up to go to Paris for the week but their uncle actually owns an apartment in Paris so they’re going for a month this summer and only have to pay for their plane ticket. This obnoxious trait of always trying to one-up people is absolutely infuriating. It’s like they don’t realize that there’s room in life for more than one person to be happy and successful. Instead, they have to try and tear you down while lifting themselves up. Ugh, the worst.
3. They don’t know when to quit with the “jokes.”
I’m all for having a laugh and playing around, but there’s a time and place for it (as well as a time for it to stop and for things to get serious). One of the most obnoxious and unlikable traits a person can have is the inability to knock it off with the horsing around, teasing people, etc. It’s like there’s no “off” switch with them and they have to take everything 25 steps too far. When you’re around them, you feel like you’re dealing with a hyperactive child who just doesn’t know how to read the room. It’s completely exhausting.
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5. They’re easily offended.
There are plenty of things out there worth being offended by — racism, sexism, and bigotry of any kind, just to name a few — and I appreciate that everyone’s personal sensitivities are different. That being said, there are some people who will take any and every available opportunity to become outraged or triggered by something. Not only that, but they have to make a massive scene out of it and try to make the person who made the comment/did the thing they didn’t like out to be the devil reincarnate. They spend their entire lives in a constant state of being uppity and it makes them extremely unpleasant to be around.
6. They don’t know how to let things go.
Maybe you misspoke or let them down in some way, but you’ve recognized where you went wrong and have genuinely apologized for it. While most well-adjusted people would accept your apology and let bygones be bygones, the most obnoxious people out there will hold onto a grudge as if their life depended on it. Not only will they have a slight attitude with you for weeks or even months after, but they’ll also continue to bring it up to you and anyone else who will listen forevermore. Give it a rest!
7. They’re always late. Every single time.
Showing up late shows that you have no respect for other people’s time, simply put. Yes, emergencies happen. If your car broke down, your train had a last-minute diversion, or you had a family thing pop up while in transit, that’s totally fine. But one of the worst possible traits a person can have is constant lateness. It’s like, listen bud, I managed to get here on time under the exact same conditions — why couldn’t you? If you know there’s traffic, you leave early. If you have to make a stop first, you leave early. If there’s construction, you plan another route in advance. It’s really not that hard.
8. They have an excuse for everything.
It doesn’t matter if what happened was very clearly their fault — they’re not having it. Instead, they either blame someone/everyone else, play the victim, or have a million and one excuses (many of which are completely nonsensical) for why they shouldn’t have to apologize/face up to the consequences of their actions. If they’d just admit that they messed up, you’d probably be way more likely to let it go — and they’d be a lot more likable as a person.
9. They’re happy to dump their problems but never ask how you are.
Oh God, we’ve all met people like this before, and they’re the worst. They literally have no qualms about telling you their entire life story in graphic detail and eliciting sympathy and support from you. However, after they’ve talked your ear off for hours about all the trials and tribulations of their life (which, I should add, are usually not nearly as dramatic or serious as they like to make out), the conversation is over, as far as they’re concerned. Never once does the phrase, “Enough about me, how are you doing?” come out of their mouth. Lovely.
10. They tune out when the conversation doesn’t revolve around them.
Similar to the above, one of the most obnoxious traits a person can have is making their complete and utter disinterest in anything that doesn’t have to do with them clear as day. They’re all-in when you’re discussing something they care about and that directly involves their life, but when the convo shifts away from that, their entire face goes blank and their eyes glaze over. They might even get out their phone and start scrolling through social, that’s how much they don’t care. What is wrong with people?!
