Not everyone you meet has your best interests at heart. Some people seem like they’re the perfect partner or friend until you get to know them a bit better. They might be downright sinister, which is scary. It’s time to protect yourself. Here are 16 signs that the person you’ve welcomed into your life is sinister and you’ve got to watch your back.
1. They do creepy things.
You might get a feeling of fear around this person because their behavior is a tad odd. Maybe they become silent and sit in the corner, even though you can feel the bad mood that’s radiating off them, or they stare at you when you ask them a question instead of answering you.
2. They have weird eyes.
They say the eyes are the window into the soul (according to Psychology Today, that’s true!), and this person’s eyes can tell you a lot about their dark nature. Their eyes might be empty or dead, and they give you the creeps. Sure, they might be beautiful eyes, but they have no soul in them. There’s an emptiness there that’s really chilling.
3. Their body language is angry.
Although the person might try to make you feel at ease, their body language clashes with their words. They might have clenched fists or tense their jaw when agreeing to do something they clearly don’t want to do. This could mean they have anger issues that could make them impatient at best or violent at worst.
4. They laugh at other people’s misfortune.
When they hear a sad story about someone’s troubles, they make light of it like it’s a big joke. If they see someone getting hurt, they might laugh. They clearly have zero empathy for anyone, and it’s disturbing. They’re not just like this with people they don’t get along with — they seem a bit heartless with everyone.
5. Their behavior is confusing.
If someone’s sinister or potentially dangerous, look at their behavior. If it’s inconsistent — say, for instance, that they’re love-bombing you one day and then giving you the silent treatment the next — that’s a red flag! They’re unpredictable and confusing. This isn’t the kind of person you want in your life.
6. They want to harm people who hurt you.
When you talk about someone who upset you at work or you’re crying because you and your parents had a fight, this person will appear to care about your emotions. However, they show protectiveness by saying how they’d hurt whoever hurts you, which feels creepy. You don’t need anyone to protect you, especially not in such a vindictive way!
7. They get information about you that they use against you later.
You might feel safe to confide in this person about your deepest, darkest secret because they put you at ease. However, they’ll use the secret against you in future to manipulate or even blackmail you. So toxic. Sharing something personal with someone should come with the guarantee that it never goes anywhere else — and it never gets thrown back in your face at any point in the future.
8. They confuse you with drama.
Sinister people can sometimes bring drama to your life because they want to throw you off and confuse you with their chaos. They do this to try to control you. By overloading you with emotions, they keep you from being able to pinpoint how you actually feel and can never think clearly.
9. They’re a stage-five clinger.
This person always seems to need something from you. Whenever you’re around them, they want to be close to you to the point of making you feel claustrophobic. It’s draining and they clearly have no boundaries. A little personal space goes a long way — they need to learn that.
10. They hide their life from you.
This person is super-secretive and mysterious. Not that you would, but it sometimes feels like you have to bribe them to get them to open up to you! It’s annoying, but it can also be a red flag that the person is sinister because they’re hiding their life. They could be leading a double life they want to keep you away from.
11. They control you.
Their tendency to dominate and control you might show up in small ways at first. They might check your social media daily to see who you’re talking to, but then they’ll check your car mileage to confirm where you were or follow you to places to check up on you. This is abusive behavior and completely unacceptable. Get away ASAP.
12. They want you to be perfect.
When this person first met you, they showered you with praise for being “perfect.” But now, they treat you like you’re never good enough for them. They criticize you or act disappointed in you no matter what you do, which then makes you feel like you need to be trying harder to please them.
13. They’re mean to kids.
Maybe the person has younger siblings and you’ve seen how they tease these kids so much until they cry, yet think it’s all in good fun. This is really shady behavior! They have a cruel streak and try to brush it off like it’s no big deal.
14. They’re gaslighters.
A sinister person will try to make you believe things that aren’t real so you doubt your perception of reality. According to Medical News Today, gaslighting is another way to try to control you. They’ll tell you that something that happened didn’t really happen — they want to mess with your mind.
15. They think they’re perfect.
Although they find fault with you, they think they’re perfect. If you confront them about something they’ve done to hurt you, they’ll be confused about what you’re talking about. They’ll behave like they can do no wrong. This also means they don’t take any responsibility for their actions. Run!
