The world around you is vastly negative. While there’s much positivity to experience, people tend to be drawn toward the negative aspects and don’t focus on optimism. If you let this negativity into your soul, toxic people around you can destroy your rosy outlook on life. Even worse, some negative folks intentionally attempt to drag you down to their level of misery. Don’t fall for it!
Having people in your life who infect you with negativity can cause you to feel horrible inside. If you want to live a happy life, you will eliminate the people who bring you down and push their pessimism onto you. Even if you try to stay on the sunny side of things, there will always be some toxic people who will cross your path.
Whether it’s work, family members, or those you interact with in the community, doom and gloom seem to be everywhere. You must learn how to inject some positivity into a world where people tend to be pessimistic.
Fifteen Signs Negative People Are Trying to Infect You
When you were young, your parents always told you to choose your friends wisely. Your inner circle says a lot about who you are as a person. If you run with toxic people who bask in pessimism, you will likely be a negative person too.
Sometimes you’re too close to the situation to see what’s right before your eyes. So here are some classic signs that someone is trying to infect you with their negativity.
1. They Love to Point Out Negativity and Flaws
Toxic people like to point out flaws in you and everyone around you. They don’t want to showcase your attributes because that would be positive. They tend to dwell on the negative, so they can’t see anything but failure and imperfections.
This individual will do everything they can to deprive you of happiness, and their motives are not always so sinister. It’s just that they’re so miserable within themselves that they can’t help but infect those around them.
2. Toxic People Gossip Constantly
Another way that a person can infect you with negative things is that they like to gossip. They want to talk about anybody and their brother and what’s going on in their life. Remember that the person who gossips with you will also talk about you to someone else. They will trash talk anyone who will give them the time of day.
3. Someone Full of Negativity Always Criticizes Others
Toxic people never have a kind word to say about anyone. They’re so full of negativity that they only see faults. You may get a headache when you’re around them because the dark cloud that hangs over them makes you physically ill.
It gets tiring to be around someone who only condemns people trying to make a difference in their lives and the world around them.
4. Poison Rolls off Their Tongue
The next time you’re with your friends, listen to the words that come from their mouths. Someone who is trying to infect you with negativity will use pessimistic phrases.
Is their conversation mostly about doom and gloom? Maybe this person doesn’t even realize how their outlook has become so bleak to the world around them. Consequently, it’s certainly not something you want rubbing off on you.
5. Negativity Spreads Insults
Toxic people love to insult folks. They may put you or others down. They have issues with being insecure and immature, which often stems from a troubled childhood. If life was a school playground, they’re the bully. Of course, should limit interactions with such a toxic individual.
6. Toxic People Can’t Stand to See You Win
Your friends should cry with you in your times of sorrow and rejoice with you when you’re winning in life. However, someone who has a problem being negative might not be happy for you when you accomplish things.
They can’t see past their misery and feelings of inadequacy to realize they need to be there for you. They might muster a fake smile, but secretly, they wish it was them, not you. It’s not just you that they have an issue with winning, as they feel this way about most people.
7. Negative People Drain You
Toxic people tend to drain the energy right out of you. Some refer to these folks as energy vampires because they demand so much from their friends. You often feel spiritually and emotionally drained when you spend time with them.
8. Their Negativity Rubs Off on You
Negativity is hard to escape, and you might notice that your attitude turns sour when you’re with toxic people. Few people know that attitudes are contagious. The mental energy it takes to combat such pessimism is challenging, but you must counter this with positivity to stay on an even kilter.
9. A Negative Person Will Fill Your Head with Doubt
If someone wants to infect you with negativity, they will doubt all your dreams and ambitions. They won’t want you to take risks and will point out how silly it is to do whatever you desire. They fill your mind with doubts and don’t offer any support to help you reach your goals.
10. Toxic People Are Jealous
Jealousy is as cruel as the grave, according to an adage. The jealous person is often controlling and insecure. They can’t be happy for anyone else as the success of others just points out their shortcomings.
Hanging with this person can make you feel the old green-eyed monster rising inside you, but you must remember to count your blessings. Never look in the windows of other people’s houses, as you won’t get an accurate account of what’s happening. People who fight jealousy live with preconceived notions that only exist in their minds, and most of the time, it’s based on falsehoods.
11. Their Negativity Can Tear You Down
If you accomplish something fantastic in your life, don’t expect them to be happy for you. They will try everything in their power to downplay your success. They make snippy comments like “anyone can do it,” or “it wasn’t that difficult. “They want to lower your self-esteem to bring you down to their level.
12. Negativity Is Manipulative
Toxic people are often manipulative. They want to affect your mental and emotional states by working you like a puppet on a string. The manipulative person often uses tactics like complaining, mind games, guilt trips, and lying to get what they want.
According to the National Library of Medicine, manipulative people are disagreeable in many aspects of their life. They’re often aggressive and selfish to gain power. The study found that these folks have dominant-aggressive behaviors, so it’s easy to see how this negativity can rub onto you.
13. Lying Is Commonplace
Another negative aspect of a toxic person is that they like to lie. Adding some dishonestly to any story makes it juicier. They often tell you what you want to hear or make up stories to make themselves seem grander.
Experts warn that people who engage in pathological lying often try to make up for shortcomings in their life. These habitual falsehoods mask the inferiority they feel inside.
14. Toxic People Play the Victim
One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, and the person who plays the victim will rub off on you. They feel like the world owes them something, and they will soon cause you to see things from their point of view. These people are toxic to the bone and will infect you with negativity that changes your mindset on how you look at people and the world around you.
15. Negative People Behave as Superior Over Others
When someone acts like they’re better than someone else, it’s usually due to low self-esteem. However, you don’t need a friend who acts haughty and puffs themselves up around you.
They’re trying to make up for inadequacies they feel inside, but it comes across as they’re humiliating and putting you down. People who use an assertive tone of voice and act superior are not being true to you.
Final Thoughts on Knowing the Signs When Someone Wants to Fill Your Life With Negativity
As a human, you will gravitate to people with similar characteristics. If you see the darker side of every situation, you’re likely to hang with like-minded folks. However, even if you strive to be the best person, those toxic individuals always come around and try to infect their negativity onto you.
These individuals are quick to judge, find fault with everything, and don’t have a kind word to say. They’re often miserable people with low self-esteem, issues from their childhood, past traumatic experiences, or who have unhappy home lives. The world is hostile enough without having people in your inner circle who do nothing but bring you down.
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