Most people have encountered someone who is genuinely unpleasant to deal with. According to Your Tango, these individuals do not just take up too much space in the worst possible ways, they also speak rudely and dismissively.
The publication identified nine phrases that difficult people tend to use.
Phrases that signal a difficult person
“Must be nice.” When someone cannot contain their envy or dissatisfaction, Your Tango noted, it shows. A person who uses this phrase is devaluing another’s achievements by implying they had some kind of help or advantage. According to the publication, such people cannot grasp that everyone steers their own life.
“I knew that would happen.” An overconfident person who always needs to be right will fall back on this phrase. Your Tango said these individuals cannot accept that they might be wrong, so they shift blame onto others while presenting themselves as the smartest person in the room.
“It was just a joke.” The publication argued that difficult people try to dodge accountability for cruelty by hiding behind this excuse. Cruelty is not blunt honesty, Your Tango said, but the behavior of someone who fears expressing their views openly because they know how poorly those views reflect on them.
“I can’t change, it’s just who I am.” The article stressed that anyone can change, but only when they want to. Someone who uses this phrase to excuse harsh or intolerant behavior is attempting to push their problems onto others and blame those they hurt, the publication said.
“That was a stupid choice.” Phrases like this, or asking why someone did something in a dismissive tone, do not come from a desire to support, Your Tango explained. They stem from an unstable psychology that a person with very low self-esteem builds for themselves in search of momentary relief.
“What do you want me to say?” Your Tango said that anyone who uses this phrase, whether a checked-out partner or a disengaged colleague, has little or no common sense. These people refuse to believe they control their own behavior and wait for someone else to tell them what to do or say.
“Who cares?” A truly unhappy person often uses this phrase to dismiss someone else’s feelings or dampen enthusiasm for something they envy. The publication explained that these individuals cannot accept others being happy or confident, and because they take no responsibility for their own feelings, they expect everyone around them to be miserable as well.
“That’s nothing, you should hear about…” When attention is on someone else, Your Tango noted, difficult people simply cannot stand it. They need to be the center of attention at all times, even if that means interrupting others or finding a way to one-up what is being said. For everyone else, this is exhausting and irritating.
“Life isn’t fair.” People with the strongest sense of entitlement believe fairness is tied to merit, the publication said. Crucially, they are convinced that when something goes wrong for them, they become a victim requiring attention and help. Expecting everyone to drop everything to console them at the slightest inconvenience, Your Tango concluded, is both unreasonable and draining for those around them.
