Ever walked into a room and instantly felt an uneasy tension? Or met someone for the first time and had an immediate gut feeling that something was off?
Stay Away
We’ve all experienced encounters with people who give off bad vibes. While these people may not wear signs saying “Stay Away,” they emit subtle signals that act as red flags!
One Redditor asked, “What’s something subtle that instantly gives you bad vibes about someone?” Now, any users shared their insights, and we have listed the top 20 ones for you!
1. Opinions Are Facts!
A closed mindset is one of the telltale signs of someone giving off bad vibes. These people hold firm to their beliefs without any willingness to consider other people’s opinions!
A discerning Reddit user commented, “Small exaggerations or telling stories from your perspective once in a while are fine, but seemingly being unable to frame your perspective and feelings separate from the rest of the world is concerning. My sister will often state other people’s thoughts or feelings she believes as if they are fact. Needless to say, she can’t be relied on for a trustworthy depiction of events, even in the most low stake scenarios”
Another replied, “My mum and her partner are exactly like this. They make a presumption, and then it becomes gospel truth. They also grossly exaggerate other people’s reactions but seem to believe what they’re saying. It’s incredibly grating.”
2. Returning the Carts
AllaSerebrina via DepositPhotos.com.
How someone behaves when no one is watching speaks volumes about their character.
One said, “They don’t return the cart after loading up the car.”
Someone else added, “I saw a woman just push her cart right behind my car as I was walking up. I pushed it right behind her car, so she had to get out and move it.”
A Reddit user wrote, “You just walked around an entire supermarket; what’s another 20 feet? I will never understand that. Actually, I do, it doesn’t benefit them directly. It’s still pretty stupid because it creates annoyance and damaged cars all around. No immediate benefit is pretty stupid.”
Abandoned shopping carts create chaos in parking lots. These wayward carts can collide with vehicles, causing dents and scratches!
3. Talking Bad About Your Partner
Have you ever been around someone who can’t stop bad-mouthing their partner? Like, they’ve got an endless supply of complaints ready to spill at any given moment. It’s not just an annoyance; it’s a major vibe-killer.
A Reddit user wrote, “Trash talking their significant other.”
Another added, “I just cut ties with someone like this. At first, I was flattered, and I thought, “Awww, she really trusts me, she knows I’ll keep things in confidence, and I don’t run around running my mouth.” But eventually, my good common sense kicked in, and I realized she was just a manipulative, toxic person, and was probably talking about me to others in the same fashion.”
4. Putting You in a Box
Being defined by something useless boxes you in and limits your potential. It’s like people have slapped a label on you, and now you’re stuck with it. And now it’s hard to break free from that stereotype.
One Redditor stated, “When you share meaningless info about you or someone, and they make it your or their defining quality. Basically, they put you and other people in a box.”
Another person agreed and said, “Ha, this always makes me think of my mother-in-law. My wife and I started dating in high school, and the first time I went over to her house, her mom offered me a drink. “We have water, iced tea, lemonade, etc.” I said, “I’d love some iced tea, thank you.” Totally normal.
Every single time I went back to that house for at least a year, the first thing her mother would say when I walked in the door was, “I brewed some iced tea because I knew you were coming over!” Or “I made sure we have tea in the fridge for you!” Or something similar. Like, don’t get me wrong, I like iced tea, but I also enjoy other beverages!”
5. Dissing Others
Someone on Reddit said, “Another one is when they start “playfully” roasting you too early on in a connection. That’s for close people, and we aren’t anywhere near that.”
Someone else replied, “The second part is so stressful to me. I’m autistic, and I cannot for the life of me differentiate “friendly” aggression from actual aggression. I end up just assuming everyone’s acting in good faith and get treated badly in the process, and annoying people when I try to tease them because I don’t do it “correctly” whatever that means.”
Another responded, “Had some dude tell me I look like a serial killer within 3 minutes of meeting him once.”
When someone is constantly dissing others, it creates a toxic atmosphere. The air becomes thick with negativity, and breathing in a positive vibe is hard. And no one wants to be around someone who constantly brings them down with snide remarks and cutting jabs!
6. Being Overly Comfortable
One said, “Particularly if you’ve never met that person, nor invited them into your home at any point, and you wake up to this situation at 3 am.”
Another replied, “They’re stood naked in my kitchen by the open fridge drinking my coconut milk straight from the carton.”
An overly comfortable person can turn any situation into an awkward fest. They make others feel uneasy to the point that forced laughter becomes the new black!
7. Treating Animals
Animals are nature’s BFFs! They bring joy and a whole lot of positivity into our lives. So, when someone mistreats them, they disrespect the natural order of things.
Someone shared, “How they treat/view animals. Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you!”
Another person added, “This 100 x ! If you can’t be kind to the voiceless, you’re a pos.”
A user responded, “This girl comes by with my friend and shoves my cat because he came near her. Right in front of me too. Ejected.”
It’s hard to vibe with someone who can’t appreciate these beauties.
8. Treating Waitstaff
One user shared, “How they treat someone in a service position, wait staff, etc.”
Another added, “Same here. I went on a blind date once with a guy who thought he was hot stuff and assumed I’d be impressed if he threw around money and just acted like a superior a**h**e. He was one of those unbearable people who put money on the table and tell the server that’s their tip, and he’ll take some away every time the server displeases him. It was insufferable. I ended the date before we even ordered food, and I tipped and apologized to everyone he was an a**h**e to on my way out of the restaurant.”
Here’s the thing: Karma’s got its eye on those rude customers. When people mistreat waitstaff, it’s only a matter of time before karma serves them a big ol’ plate of reality. The bad vibes they send out into the world have a way of coming back to bite them in the you-know-what!
9. The “Family” Lies
When people lie about being a family at work, it erodes trust like nothing else. You start questioning everyone’s intentions and wonder if you can truly rely on your so-called “work family.” And no one needs that level of fakeness in their life, man.
Someone said, “”Here at <company>, we are like family!”
Another added, “I just got a job offer Friday afternoon from a company that pushes the “It’s a family here!” mantra. And it’s literally run by a family: Husband is CEO, wife is Senior VP, all three sons are VPs on the board of directors.
They’re offering me higher pay than I’ve ever had, and it would be a rare chance to branch out into a different field than the one I’ve always been stuck in.
But I can’t get over the red flags. Another one is emphasis on the importance of smiling and having a positive attitude. I was told there were two employees in the past who didn’t always say hello or greet their coworkers every day. The unspoken insinuation is that if you’re not acting happy, you’ll be fired.
Normally I’d run, but I think they know that, and that’s why they’re dangling the high pay in front of me.”
One replied, “THIS! THANK YOU! It’s SUCH a red flag I totally overlooked when taking a job.”
10. Interrupting Others
One Reddit user wrote, “They interrupt multiple times when it’s your turn to tell a story or explain something.
edit: I have aspergers and ADD. I’m quite aware of how difficult it may be to tame these urges to do so. My comment is more directed towards those who are narcissistic, fake, or micro-controlling as a behavior. Thank you for all the further comments; I hope I didn’t offend anyone from any misunderstanding.”
Someone said, “There’s a difference between messing up social interactions because of neurodivergence and messing it up because you’re just an a**h**e.
That difference is whether you apologise and genuinely try to do it less, or if you just blame being an a**hole on being neurodivergent and do nothing to get better (which makes the rest of us look bad, too).”
People who constantly interrupt others are like walking bad vibes generators. Their buzz-killing ways and inflated egos create a toxic atmosphere for everyone in the room.
11. Loud Music
When you blast music in public, you’re invading everyone’s personal space, whether you like it or not. Not everyone shares their taste in tunes, and forcing others to hear your playlist is unfair. One wrote, “If you’re blasting music in public, I instantly hate you.”
Another commented, “You don’t even have to be blasting music. If you’re talking on speakerphone, watching YouTube, even lightly playing music, I instantly hate you. It’s 2023; the only reason someone isn’t using headphones is because they’re self-absorbed a**h**es. I shouldn’t hear any noise coming from your phone other than a ringtone.”
12. Gossiping
Ever been around people who can’t resist gossiping? Like, they’ve got all the latest juicy details and can’t wait to spill the beans? It’s more than just a guilty pleasure; it’s a major bad vibes sign.
A Redditor wrote, “Gossip about other people. If they do it about others, they’ll do it about you.”
Someone else agreed and said, “I’ll never understand the older generation’s need to gossip about other people’s medical issues, especially in public. That’s that person’s confidential business. I don’t need to know. Nobody needs to hear that. Plus, this fixation on sickness instead of health is so sickening, no pun intended. Focus on health and well-being instead. So glad I’m not in that mentality.
This happened a couple of days ago at the local pool. One boomer was on the edge of the pool deck, and the other was in the middle of the pool, several meters away. I was even further away, and I got to hear all about one lady’s hip surgery and about another guy who had a partially paralyzed arm, but it’s getting a little better. Please. That’s their private information. I don’t even know them. I definitely don’t need to know that.”
13. Knowing Your True Worth
Alright, picture this: you’re at a gathering, just trying to enjoy yourself, and suddenly there’s that person who believes the world revolves around them. They want all the attention and special treatment from others. It’s like they skipped the memo that we’re all in this together, man.
Someone said, “Sense of Entitlement .”
Another person shared similar thoughts and mentioned, “The opposite can be just as bad too. I have too many friends who would feel obligated to give you their last dollar if you asked them for it, and I used to be the same way. There’s a balance that should be maintained between knowing your value and letting it go to your head.”
14. Being Pushy
Bad vibes intensify when someone can’t respect your boundaries!
One user said, “When they’re far too pushy with questions and don’t leave you alone despite you making it super obvious that you don’t want to answer their questions.”
Someone else added, “I really hate this. I had one lady say, “Wow, usually people will eventually give up and tell me what I want to be courteous.” Yeah, I don’t care about making you comfortable. I’m not gonna tell you a personal thing I don’t want you to know.”
15. Pathological Lies
When someone lies often for no reason, trust goes out the window. It’s hard to rely on someone who can’t keep it real.
If people lie about trivial things, what else might they be lying about? The shady vibes multiply when you’re constantly wondering if anything they say is actually true!
Someone commented, “Small lies. It can be anything. What they ate the night before, when they came home, their favorite color. The smaller the lie is, the more suspicious the person becomes to me.”
Another user debunked this, “As a kid, if I didn’t answer quickly or confidently enough about just about any question asked to me by an adult, I was accused of either lying or being “willful”. Both those things would get me punished. So, I got in the habit of just confidently and quickly replying with anything which seemed plausible enough at the moment. I didn’t like doing it, but it was better than the alternative.
Heck me for being a neurodivergent kid just trying to survive. I’ve tried to break this habit since becoming an adult, but sometimes I mess up when startled or flustered.”
16. What Others Eat!
When people are obsessed with what others eat, it’s like they forgot the golden rule: mind your own business. It’s your plate, your taste buds, and your body! These people have no business policing your food choices or making you feel guilty about what you enjoy.
Someone said, “Obsessing about how other people eat their food. Particularly getting annoyed at plain eaters. Like, eat your own food and mind your own d**n business. How someone else eats isn’t going to affect your food. I’ve never met someone who does that who didn’t turn out to be a d**k”
Another replied, “I used to work at a fairly conservative, middle-aged office. I’ve been vegan for 12 years, so I bring my own food and just don’t eat at potlucks and stuff. I’m pretty discreet about it, but it’s not a secret. My one religious co-worker found out and had a fit because “God made the animals for us to eat.” This meant anytime I’d eat my lunch, or if I had one of the bagels someone brought in, she would start grilling me about it, asking how what I was eating was vegan, trying to look for hypocrisies, or saying that my lunch was gross and she couldn’t be around me because of it. This woman microwaved frozen pot pies for breakfast every day. I’m so glad leadership banned her from interacting with me. That stuff was super weird.”
17. Politics
Politics has a way of dividing people. When someone becomes obsessed with politics, it creates an “us vs. them” mentality. It’s like they’re constantly seeking allies and enemies, and it turns every interaction into a battleground.
A Redditor wrote, “If they immediately start talking about Trump or Biden, unprompted. Not a fan of folks who make politics a cornerstone of their personality.”
Another replied, “Ugh- this happened to me at a neighborhood get-together yesterday. Out of nowhere, my neighbor started trashing Biden and talking about how honest Trump is. As a neighborhood, we have an unspoken agreement to not talk politics”
18. Backhanded Compliments
Backhanded compliments are insults in disguise, man. They create confusion, leaving you wondering if you should feel good or offended. It’s like a mind game that messes with your emotions!
Someone on Reddit said, “That whole compliment, but it’s an insult thing, and then they laugh it off as a joke. Like, wtf is your problem.”
Someone commented, “Exactly same. It’s honestly probably my number one pet peeve when people do this type of subtle, passive-aggressive stuff, especially if they’re a “good” friend.”
19. Being the Good Guy
Those “always the good guy” dudes are pros at playing the victim card. They twist their stories to cast themselves as the innocent victim. These people are surely allergic to admitting any fault of their own!
One said, “If they’re always the “good guy” when they tell stories about bad situations.”
Another person pitched in to say, “You may tend to tell stories of being in the right, but if the story had you in the wrong and you can’t see it, red flag. If you never tell self-deprecating stories about your own flubbs and mistakes, yellow flag.”
20. Door-To-Door Salesperson
Let’s face it: Nowadays, it’s hard to trust strangers who randomly show up at your doorstep. With all the scams and sketchy schemes, it’s only natural to be cautious. Door-to-door salesmen often fall into the “stranger danger” category and spread bad vibes everywhere.
This user shared, “Anyone that knocks on my door with a clipboard or wearing a suit holding a book.”
Another replied, “I do feel bad for door-to-door salespeople. As much as I despise the tactic, they’re just trying to make a paycheck from some company that uses high-pressure sales techniques.”
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This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
