What's a dead giveaway that someone is actually really, really insecure? Well, a Reddit user recently asked, "What screams insecurity but most people don't realize?" Here are some of the top-voted responses:
1. "When you achieve something or improve your life in any way, and their first instinct is to tease or make fun of you, it actually screams instant jealousy."
2. "Always having something negative to say when something good happens to someone else. For example, 'Oh, you’re going to hate that new job,' or, 'They should have done this instead.' Just be happy that someone else is happy!"
3. "Never apologizing. Some people will twist the story, change the way it happened, and retell it so convincingly that they’ll believe their own nonsense, but will never apologize."
4. "Mocking other people's insecurity. It's usually projection."
5. "Constantly talking shit about other people for an inflated sense of self-worth."
6. "Explaining how smart you are."
7. "Taking a situation that was never about you or had you involved, and somehow making it all about yourself and playing the victim (even though you had to meddle in it to make yourself the 'victim')."
8. "Insulting your friend in front of others to be cool."
9. "The incessant need to compare."
10. "When they can’t make fun of themselves."
11. "In terms of leadership, it's when someone can't (or won't) take input from the rest of their team and tries to act like they have all the answers. I was this type of insecure leader once, and I thought that if I used the idea of someone with less experience, then everyone would think I was a weak leader."
12. "Saying, 'I'm an alpha male.'"
13. "Obsessing over hierarchies, or who is 'ahead' and who is 'behind' in life."
14. "Those handshakes that are firm to the point you wonder if they're actually trying to hurt you."
15. "Being loud and domineering in every conversation."
16. "Trying to justify every mistake. Usually, it's minimal, but once you notice that someone does it, you cant stop noticing when they do it."
17. "Gossiping and triangulation. Talking about someone they have an issue with to other people, without addressing the issue directly with the person whom they have a problem with. Screams insecurity."
18. "Talking over others. It’s a quality that seems confident, but in reality, the underlying reason is usually that the interrupting person is just trying to prove something and has zero interest in what you have to say."
Are there any qualities that you think are a sign of insecurity? Tell us in the comments.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.