It’s healthy to try to find the good in people, but it isn’t always there.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you look, it’s impossible to find the good in people because it isn’t in them. Some people are bad, and they show it through several behaviors. Here are 15 dead giveaways that someone is a terrible person.
1. They can never admit when they’re wrong.
A telltale sign that someone is a terrible person is if they can’t admit when they’re wrong. This doesn’t just mean that they sometimes can’t admit that they’re not right all the time and have occasional bouts of stubbornness. It means that even in the face of undeniable, scientific, documented proof, they’ll still insist they’re correct. It’s a classic sign of narcissism.
2. They’re judgmental but never introspective.
Bad people are often very judgmental of others. They judge them for things that are happening in their life without considering what could’ve caused them to get to that point. They do this all while never reflecting on their own lives. They judge people without considering why they feel the need to put them down.
3. They get upset when you tell them the impact of their behavior.
Bad people will often make inconsiderate comments, and many people will look the other way because it makes them uncomfortable. However, sometimes they’ll meet people who will call them out for the things they’re saying or doing. They’ll tell the bad person that what they’re doing could negatively impact people. The bad person will then get upset at that person for calling them out.
4. They don’t hold themselves accountable for their actions.
Bad people never hold themselves accountable for their actions. If something goes wrong in their life, they’ll blame people for what’s happened. If no one’s around to blame, they’ll say it’s because of bad luck. Self-reflection is a good person, and if someone doesn’t have it, it means the opposite.
5. They’re cruel to animals.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, one of the most obvious signs of a bad person is if they’re cruel to animals. If they shove dogs and cats out of the way or do harm to any animal for any reason other than self-defense, it’s a sign of a bad person. More specifically, if someone is mean to pets, it’s a sign that they don’t value life other than their own. Cats and dogs trust people and look to us to help them, and being mean to them is indefensible.
6. They’re rude to restaurant workers.
One of the best ways to see what type of person someone is? Watch how they interact with people working for them. Most notably, when people are at a restaurant, you can get a good idea of if they’re a good or bad person by how they interact with waitstaff. Working in a restaurant is incredibly difficult, so if you feel the need to make their day worse by being rude, you’re probably a bad person.
7. Their adult children don’t speak to them.
It’s hard for someone to know you better than your kids. Kids see their parents every day in all kinds of situations. They don’t have a choice to stay with them until they become adults. So, if someone’s adult children don’t speak to them, it’s a pretty good sign that they’re a bad person. People will look for any reason to give their parents a second chance, so if they’ve given up, you probably don’t want to be around that person.
8. They say people don’t like them because they tell the truth.
When someone says people don’t like them because they tell the truth, you should run the other way. That’s code for, they’re consistently rude to people under the guise of telling the truth. These people don’t consider people’s feelings.
9. They make you feel bad about things that make you happy.
When you tell someone about something that makes you happy, you’re letting your guard down. If someone makes you feel bad about the things that make you happy, it’s a violation of trust. There’s also no reason to put someone down for liking something. Only a bad person would do that.
10. They take every chance to badmouth people who aren’t around.
There’s nothing wrong with gossiping a little bit every once in a while. However, when someone takes every chance to badmouth people who aren’t around, it’s a pretty good sign that they aren’t a good person.
11. They always ask but never give.
Bad people never help people but are always asking other people to help them. They’ll be the first to ask for a handout, but they’ll disappear as soon as you need something.
12. They don’t care if they hurt people.
Bad people don’t care about hurting other people. As long as what they’re doing is what they want, they’ll keep doing it, regardless of the impact it has on other people.
13. They tell you that they’re a good person.
If someone needs to tell you that they’re a good person, it’s a pretty good sign that they aren’t one. Actions, which Psychology Today points out are driven by goals, speak louder than words, and you shouldn’t need to tell someone you’re a good person if you are one. It’ll be apparent. So, if someone is telling you they’re a good person, it’s probably the opposite.
14. They don’t clean up after themselves in public places.
It takes a few seconds to clean up after yourself at a park, movie theater, or another public place. Bad people will often leave their trash in public places because it’s someone else’s job to deal with it. While that’s technically true, there’s no need to make someone else’s job harder when you could take 10 seconds to clean up after yourself.
15. They put pressure on people to do things they wouldn’t do themselves.
Bad people are usually hypocrites. They’ll put pressure on their friends or coworkers to do things that they’d never personally do. Good friends don’t ask people to do things they wouldn’t do themselves. They’d respect the boundaries of the people in their life and never ask someone to compromise their values.
