Envious people: these 8 characteristics define them

Personal relationships are double-edged. On the one hand, they allow us to obtain the affection and protection that the company of friends and family gives us, as well as the products and services that others seek. But, on the other hand, they increase our chances of conflict.

Envious people are a constant source of conflict, among other things, because it is not even necessary to come into direct contact with them. Knowing how to recognize them is very useful, since it allows either to help them get out of that relational dynamic or to take into account their predisposition to avoid problems in the short term.

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The characteristics of envious people

On a daily basis we usually hide those characteristics that we know are frowned upon. Envious people do it too, but it is still possible to recognize those signs that identify them as such. Let's see what they are.

1. Attention-based self-esteem

The self-esteem of envious people is based especially on appearances, aesthetics.

This makes it easy for them to compare themselves with others.Since our appearance, our charisma and other qualities based on appearances are easily recognizable, even if we do not expressly pay attention to them. We simply rate them automatically in a matter of seconds.

Thus, envious people are capable of being attacked simply by the aesthetics of people whom they consider better than them without even knowing them.

• Related article: "Low selfsteem? When you become your worst enemy"

2. Use of taunts based on platitudes

Envious people can use any resource to humiliate those they consider their rival, and this is evident in the criticism they make of others. Their negative comments about other people, many times, have no substance and are limited to hint at supposed qualities that in many cases are not even negative from a perspective rational.

For example, they may resort to accusing someone of being a vegetarian, or homosexual, or for not having a car. They are comments that portray the person who pronounces them more than the person to whom they are directed, but take advantage of a historical unpopularity that it does not need to be justified (in the case of homosexuality, it goes far beyond being simple unpopularity, there are propaganda campaigns aimed at stoking hatred against them).

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3. Undermining the merits of others

Whether they participated in it or not, envious people tend to attribute the success of others to luck or the intermediation of other people. The idea is avoid as much as possible that someone in your environment stands out a lotAnd if to do so they must spread rumors about unworthy methods made to climb the org charts or to gain fame, they will do so anyway.

4. Discouragement

In the face of exciting projects from others, envious people they try to dissuade them from trying, normally appealing to "good sense" and "rationality", that is, they encourage to question one's own abilities. This is done in a systematic way, regardless of whether these initiatives are really realistic or not.

5. The show of power

Although this is not as common as the rest of the characteristics, in some of the envious people who are also very narcissistic, it is given that they try to let the whole world see their achievements in order, thus, to gain positions in that constant competition that they believe is social life.

6. Machiavellian vision of friendship

Envious people can come to see many of their friends as a means to enjoy a better image and be at the same level of popularity as "rivals". For this reason, they try to make the people of their close circle moderately popular and respected, although not excessively, since if this were the case, the situation would create new rivalries.

7. Constant defensive attitude

Another characteristic of envious people is that they do not limit themselves to attacking others, but also expect others to do the same with them. That is why with great ease they can interpret it all as an attack or a personal offense.

In other words, any attempt to do something that attracts positive attention is interpreted as a threat to the power that one has in a particular social circle. The same thing happens when, without looking for it, someone exhibits a quality that unintentionally produces admiration in others.

8. Forced congratulations

When they should congratulate someone out of courtesy for having achieved something worthwhile, they do so in a mechanical way, and you notice a certain over-acting. In these cases, they do not have to try to belittle the other, they simply "have a hard time" waiting for another moment to attack.

9. Seize the umbrella of fame

In some cases, someone close to the envious people gets a certain reputation and becomes a public figure. In these cases, those who feel envy and mismanage it They can take advantage of the fact that they have met that celebrity in the past to spread rumors about her and achieve a double effect: damage her image and receive attention for having information about that popular person.