Have you ever observed how certain people behave strangely in your presence?
Have you ever observed a sudden change in the behavior of your friends or relatives after you have achieved something?
Well, you are not going crazy.
Chances are that they are jealous of you.
Look, jealousy is a natural human emotion.
In some cases, it might be okay for a person to feel jealous, and in other cases, it might be wrong of them to do so.
Regardless, you should be aware of when the people around you might be jealous of you.
This could give you a heads up and prevent their negativity from affecting your life.
To that end, let’s take a look at some common signs someone is jealous of you.
1) They Exaggerate Their Achievements
This is a classic tell-tale sign of someone’s jealousy.
And if you think about it, it totally makes sense.
When you achieve something in life, jealous people feel the need to balance the scales.
So, what do they do?
They overemphasize their achievements in front of you.
In their mind, by doing so, they are putting themselves at the same level as you.
This makes them feel better about themselves.
For example, if you have just received a promotion at work, a jealous person might tell you how they were instrumental in a company project, or how many times they have already been promoted at work.
They will try to make their achievements sound much bigger than they really are.
2) They Give You Bad Advice On Purpose
This is an obvious sign if you pay a little attention.
A jealous person would knowingly try to misguide you by giving you false information, bad tips, and wrong advice.
After all, their motive is to bring you down in whatever way possible.
They hope that by listening to their bad tips, you would make a mistake or fail at something.
This would, of course, make them think that they are better than you.
So, if you are looking for some guidance, it is a good idea to stick to your more trusted people.
At least that way, you can rest assured that you can take their advice seriously.
3) They Revel In Your Failures
Adversity, Mistakes and failures are natural parts of life.
Literally, everyone goes through them from time to time.
But while your loved ones will be there to support you and console you about your situation, a jealous person can be seen taking satisfaction in your predicament.
In their twisted minds, they think this is vindication that they are indeed better than you.
The best way to know whether someone is enjoying your failures is to pay attention to their words and action.
Their body language will reveal a lot about how they truly feel.
Usually, it’s best to maintain your distance from people like these.
4) They Are Extremely Competitive
This is another clear sign that someone might be jealous of you.
A jealous person has this deep-seated desire to be better than you in everything.
Literally, everything!
- If you buy a new phone, they might buy an even more expensive model.
- If you start reading books, they will make sure they read more books than you.
- If you start wearing sports shoes, they will go out and get a few pairs for themselves too!
In many ways, such behavior is petty.
The jealous person doesn’t even realize that they are being utterly competitive with you.
Perhaps, they don’t even know why they are doing so.
They just feel the need to compete.
That’s all!
5) They Criticize You Every Chance They Get
This has to be one of the most frustrating signs of someone’s jealousy.
Not only does this show that the other person is jealous of you, but you also have to constantly hear their criticism.
That’s a double whammy!
So, why might a jealous person be overly critical of you?
Well, two things.
First, they want you to feel bad about your choices.
Second, they want to gain an upper hand on you (at least in their minds).
So, if your boss and colleagues praise you for the great work you have been doing, a jealous coworker might point out supposed “mistakes.”
They can’t handle that everyone likes your work, so they feel the need to put you down.
Similarly, if your friends and family love a new dress you purchased, a jealous neighbor might say that it is already out of fashion!
6) They Demotivate You
This can be a dangerous one if you think about the impact it can have on your life.
A jealous person might constantly prevent you from pursuing your goals or reaching higher in life.
Not because they don’t think you can do it, but because they want to stop your progress.
They can’t see you becoming better than them in any way.
So, you might hear them say things like, “It’s not worth going after that dream,”
“Do you know how much trouble you will go through if you decide to pursue this goal?”
“Let’s be honest, the chances of success are really slim here. So, why even try?”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t even think about going abroad for better opportunities.”
7) They Humiliate You In Front of Other People
Let’s be really clear about one thing when it comes to a jealous person.
They want to make you look bad.
Whether it is in your own eyes or in front of other people.
If their feelings of jealousy are intense, they will make it a point to humiliate you in the presence of other people.
I think they derive some sort of sadistic pleasure out of doing so!
So, when you are at a party, and someone who is jealous of you is also present, be prepared for what comes next.
They will certainly try to cut you off and berate you every chance they get.
Depending on the type of person they are, they might do it blatantly, or they might try to hide their true intentions.
Regardless, humiliating you will be their prime objective.
8) They Downplay Your Achievements
I am sure you are beginning to see a pattern now.
Jealous people will either try to put you down or compete with you to reach a “supposedly higher level.”
This one relates to the former.
When you achieve something, your friends and family will make a big deal out of it. They will congratulate you and celebrate your success.
However, a jealous person will do the opposite.
They will try to downplay your achievements and ask what the big deal is about.
In their mind, they will actually think that it is a big thing, but they will show you that they are unimpressed.
For example, if you got a promotion at work, they might say that it is not that big of a promotion.
If you get a new car, they might say that it is not the latest and greatest model.
9) They Hate You Without Any Reason
Sometimes, when someone shows hatred towards you, it can be really puzzling.
You might be filled with infinite questions.
I mean, why would someone hate you when you haven’t wronged them in any way?
But that’s just how jealousy works.
It makes a person irrational and fills them with negative emotions.
Hatred is one of these emotions.
So, if you are around such people, you can probably tell that they hate you by simply studying their body language.
They will be aggressive towards you and you can just see it on their face.
Also, they might be sweet with someone else but harsh with you.
10) They Are Never Part of Your Celebrations
If you want to know who your loved ones really are, just pay attention to who celebrates your success with you.
These are the people who are genuinely happy about your achievements and want to see you scale much higher peaks.
On the other hand, if someone is never a part of your celebrations, I think that’s a clear sign that they can’t see you succeeding and happy in life.
In fact, you can test this theory.
Ask a jealous person to be a part of your celebrations.
Almost every single time, they will have some random excuse ready as to why they can’t be there.
Just keep this in mind the next time you deal with that person again.
11) They Talk Behind Your Back
Talking behind people’s backs is not a problem when you have good things to say about them.
But if you only have horrible things to say, well, that speaks more about you than them.
This is what jealous people do.
If they really envy you, they will make sure they say bad things about you in front of as many people as possible.
It could be about your relationship, career, finances, habits, behavior, looks, or anything else about you.
What’s frustrating here is that most of the time, they might say things that are blatantly untrue.
Also, the people whom they are telling these things might actually believe them! It’s a pity that all of this stems from their need to feel better about themselves.
12) They Are Nosy
If a person is being nosy and keeps asking inappropriate questions about your life, it might be a sign that they are secretly jealous of you.
And they might do this for many reasons.
First, they want to keep tabs on your life to make sure they can outdo you in everything.
I mean, if you bought a new oven, they have to buy one too, right?
So, don’t get surprised if they ask you what things you have recently purchased.
Second, they might be trying to find out about your mistakes or failures.
This would give them a chance to criticize you or berate you in front of other people.
They might even go as far as stalking you on social media to get the information they seek.
13) They Give Excuses For Their Failures
When it comes to your failures, a jealous person will make sure you will never hear the end of it.
They will repeatedly point out how you made mistakes or how you were unable to achieve your goals.
They will make it their life’s mission to constantly make you feel bad about it all.
However, when it comes to their mistakes, they will try their best to downplay them.
They will have a hundred different excuses ready for why they failed at something.
They will tell you how things were unfair or that the odds were stacked against them.
Also, it’s quite likely that they will get extremely mad at you for even mentioning their failures.
They will make you think that you are a horrible person for rubbing it in their face (even though they do the same all the time).
14) They Ignore You On Social Media
A jealous person might stalk you on your social media to get more information about you.
However, for the most part, they will try to ignore your social media accounts.
This is because we all tend to post the best parts of our lives online.
We tend to post about our achievements, our travels, important events, happy pictures, and so on.
Of course, a jealous person can’t tolerate all this goodness in your life.
They would just burn up with rage and fury.
So, they think it’s best to ignore your social media profiles.
This is why you will never get a like or comment from them on your posts.
They are just… absent!
If you think about it, it’s actually a blessing that they do this.
No jealous people means no drama.
15) Their Body Language In Front of You Is Weird
I mentioned this above but let me talk about it more in detail.
One of the best ways to see if someone is jealous of you is to study their body language.
See how they talk to you.
Observe their tone, their pitch, and the exact words they use. Notice how they look at you. Are they maintaining eye contact? Or do they keep checking you out from head to toe?
Also, try to observe the way they stand, sit, walk, or talk to other people in your presence.
If they are jealous of you, they might be quite uncomfortable in their demeanor.
They might fidget a bit, maintain some distance yet be close, and just give off negative vibes in general.
It’s really quite easy to tell if someone’s jealous by looking at their body language.
16) They Suck Your Energy And Time
I think we are all experienced in this regard.
Dealing with a jealous person is physically and mentally exhausting.
One conversation with them will leave you reaching for your bed to take a nap.
I mean, they keep going on and on about how great they are and how bad you are.
They keep pointing out your faults, flaws, mistakes, and failures.
Obviously, this can weigh you down.
I think it’s rightly said that jealous people are energy vampires.
No matter how good or how energetic you might be feeling, a jealous person will suck all of it and leave you feeling drained.
You just know it in your guts that you need to avoid such people at all costs.
17) They Make Fun of You
Some jealous people don’t take things as far as criticizing you in front of others.
They are clever in the way they point out your flaws or mistakes.
These people like to use humor as their weapon.
They make fun of you and pass jokes on you in the presence of others.
And if you call them out on it, they will just say that they were joking.
Again, they make you look like the bad guy.
Even though these people might seem harmless, it’s them that you need to be the most watchful of.
They like to work in shady ways and you might never see what’s coming next.
I think the best strategy would be to avoid such people altogether.
18) They Disappear When You Start Succeeding Too Much
Imagine that you are starting to do well in life.
You have a great job and are starting to save comfortable sums of money. You just bought a brand new car.
And you are working on a relationship that could ultimately lead to marriage.
Now, people who are jealous of you will slowly start disappearing from your life when you start succeeding too much.
It could be your friends, relatives, coworker, or any other person in your life.
Your conversations with them will get shorter, you will begin seeing them less often, and your overall interaction with them will plummet.
Not because of any changes from your side.
It’s just them who don’t want to be near you much.
This is obviously because they can’t see you being happy and successful in life.
19) They Belittle Your Interests
Every person has hobbies, interests, and things that they love doing.
It’s something that comes from within us. And there is no right or wrong in this regard.
But do you know what?
Someone who is jealous of you will find a way to belittle even your interests.
In my opinion, this is just inhuman, but it is what it is.
For example, if you like to collect stamps, they might say, “Who even does that these days!” If you like to read books, they might tell you that going outdoors is a better option.
If you like to watch movies, they might tell you that it’s a waste of money.
No matter what your interests are, they’re never good enough for them!
20) They Copy You In Everything
It is often said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
And I think that’s true to a certain extent.
We do imitate celebrities from time to time on things like fashion and brand choice.
And we do it because we admire them.
However, this can also be a sign that someone is jealous of you.
If a jealous person sees you getting admiration for your style, they might start copying the way you dress, the way you speak, the way you deal with people, etc.
If you receive praise for your photography skills, for instance, they might start learning photography as well!
It’s almost as if they have this pathological need to do everything you do and do it better.
21) They Are Usually Negative About Others
Remember one thing.
If someone can say negative things about others, they can certainly say negative things about you too.
So, if you know someone who constantly talks rubbish about other people, it wouldn’t be wrong for you to assume that they could do the same about you as well.
I think wise people are right when they say that negativity breeds negativity.
Jealous people are filled with negative emotions and they keep making more of it.
22) They Never Help You
Your loved ones are always ready to help you.
They want to see you succeed and would do anything to make that happen.
But that’s not the case with a jealous person.
On the contrary, they would like to see you fail.
So, if you ask a friend or a coworker for help and they keep coming up with excuses as to why they can’t, that should be a sign that they secretly envy you.
But before you come to that conclusion, make sure that you have asked them a few times.
That’s because even genuine people can be busy at times and may not be able to help you even if they want to.
So, in this case, it would be wrong for you to assume that they are jealous of you.
23) They get annoyed when others compliment you
This is an obvious one.
Jealous people do not want to hear or see good things about you.
It really bugs them that you are better than them in some regard or are doing better in one or more areas of life.
And if someone compliments you for whatever reason, it just sends their temper sky high.
That’s because a compliment is a validation of your good qualities.
So, if you observe that someone is getting annoyed when others compliment you, take this as a sign of their jealousy.
You don’t need to confront them about it, but knowing that they are jealous of you can help you decide how you want to be with them socially.
