Man is a social animal. It is human nature for man to be surrounded by people with whom you can share memories and experiences. However, not every people you meet is genuine; there will always be fake people around you who always act differently and the best thing to do is just want to stay away from them.
How to Identify Fake People
In a more optimistic world, fake people are unlikely to exist, but in this harsh reality we live in, this type of person is becoming more like an epidemic with each passing day. If you are unsure about the sincerity of your so-called friends, here are five ways to identify fake people.
1. They make everything about them.
Picture this: you’re talking to one of your friends about your current dilemma with your partner, and then all of a sudden she cuts you off and says that she doesn’t really want to listen because it’s taking a toll on her.
Fake people don’t care about you nor do they care about what you’re going through. If you find yourself talking about your problems to a friend, and they turn the situation to make it about them, then it’s highly likely that your “friend” is a fake one.
2. They’re not there when you need them.
People with a large circle of friends experience this a lot. When everything’s rainbow and butterflies, you may find yourself surrounded by people whom you call your friends, but when there comes a time that you may reach an all-time low, it’s rare to see the same number of friends around you.
Take my advice and guard your circle closely. Always remember that quality is more important than quantity. It’s no use having a bunch of people when none of them are there to catch your back during times of need.
ALSO READ: True Friends vs Fake Friends: What are the Differences?
3. They whisper behind your back.
Now, this is a tough one because you will never know unless someone they’ve been whispering to finally feels the guilt to tell you all about it. You may wonder why they bothered to be friends with you in the first place if they were just going to go behind your back. You will never know the answers to your thoughts.
Fake people like tearing other people apart. They will approach you, pretending to be your friend when all they’ve been doing was getting any dirty information on you and then airing it out when the opportunity arrives.
4. They secretly love seeing you in misery.
These kinds of people may never tell you this, but they absolutely love seeing you in your misery. They don’t care about you or how you feel because they’re really not at all invested in the friendship. They may loan their shoulders from time to time to cry on, but they don’t really care.
In fact, they might even take advantage of your situation, which will bring us to the next identifier.
5. They like taking opportunities from you.
Fake people will definitely seize the chance to snatch an opportunity from you. Oh, that guy you secretly like? She’s already dating him. What about that role for a play you’ve been working so hard on? She has connections and got someone else to cast her.
The worst part is they might even act innocent and turn the situation against you, making it look like you’re the one stealing their thunder.
12 Ways to Avoid Fake People
Life is much better if you can avoid negativity and fake people from your surroundings. The more positive, genuine people you have in your life, the better are the chances for you to reach your goals faster. To do that, here are 10 ways to avoid fake people.
1. Limit your interaction with the fake person.
There are situations when you can’t escape meeting this kind of people, so to avoid feeling awkward or annoyed by their actions, keep your interactions short. When you spend little to no interaction with the fake person, the lesser you’ll feel uncomfortable. Fake people mostly crave attention and you don’t want to give that to that person. You don’t have to engage them to make them feel good about themselves. In fact, that just makes it worse. Validation means they can continue to act that way.
2. Don’t let their annoying demeanor get to you.
No matter how annoying and bothersome the person’s behavior might get, remember to keep your composure. Do not let their actions bring the worst in you no matter how annoying they are. When you’re in a situation that’s aggravating you, it’s best to stop the conversation immediately and allow yourself to cool down. However, when faced with a situation wherein the fake person said something offensive and disrespectful, it’s not something that should be tolerated. Fake people need to learn their limitations when it comes to their behavior, so do not be afraid to confront them for their actions.
3. Do not stoop down to their level.
You can’t fight fakeness in other people by becoming fake too. Resist the temptation to “get back” at a fake person by gossiping and giving offensive and insulting remarks. Always remember that if you act that way, you’re becoming the person that you said you hate or avoid.
4. Avoid sharing your personal problems and secrets.
If you feel that one of your friends is acting fake, it’s better to refrain from revealing your deepest secrets to him/her. You should do this slowly so that the person does not get a sign that you have started to not believe him/her. Doing this will help you gradually move away from the person and evaluate your friendship.
5. Mind your own business.
If that person is not interacting with you and all the things you heard about them being fake came from second-hand information, don’t bother meddling into the situation. Just focus on yourself and what you do. As long as it’s not affecting you, then let them be.
6. Meet new people.
The world’s too big to surround yourself with fake people. It may seem scary to build new friendships and connections but it’s so much better than surrounding yourself with people who only bring toxicity and negativity in your life. Stay optimistic and you will soon forget those fake people and have many more new friends which you can cultivate on trust and admiration. This is a certain solution for your biggest concern of how to avoid fake people.
ALSO READ: 11 Ways to Deal with Toxic People in Your Life
7. Confront them.
When you can’t bear the things that the fake person is doing and it’s affecting you on a whole other level, do not hesitate to confront and point out those actions. This kind of person will continue sucking the life out of you if they are being tolerated all the time. They seek validation so much and pointing out their wrongdoings might even make them realize the actions they’ve been doing.
8. Not everyone you lose is a loss.
If you lost a really close friend because of their fakeness, don’t feel sad or bad about it. It’s much better to lose that friendship than to be friends with someone who only spreads negativity and toxicity in your life. Self-love should be given more priority for it affects your life entirely.
9. Offer them help.
If the person acting fake is a close friend of yours and you feel like might be able to talk to them, politely ask them about what’s going on and why are they act the way they do and try to offer to help them work through a few of the things that they brought up. However, if they don’t say anything or they refuse your help, do not be angry. It’s still their decision and what’s important is that you made an effort for them to realize their actions and that you offered help to address them. The best thing to do when that situation happens is to move on and let them do what they want.
10. Always remember that it’s not about you.
The actions that fake people do have nothing to do with you – everything has to do with them. Always remember that they are trying to prove something to others and especially to themselves, but when they do not get the validation that they need from other people, they most likely tend to walk away. Avoid in engaging interactions as much as possible and constantly remind yourself that they are lying to themselves and not to you or other people. And while it is frustrating to deal and interact with this kind of people, remember that they are the ones who are truly suffering.
11. Focus on more uplifting things.
Remember, you don’t need those kinds of people in your life and you are much better off without them anyway. Once you remove them from your sight, it’s time to focus on more positive things. Harness that leftover negative energy for the betterment of yourself.
Life can only throw you so many lemons so you better make use of it.
12. Ignore their words and tune them out.
Sometimes, these kinds of people cannot be avoided. For example, it’s a family relative, your brother’s girlfriend, or even a co-worker. The best thing to do is to maintain a civil relationship, but that doesn’t mean you to lap it up to them.
Fake People vs. Genuine People: 20 Differences You Should Know
1. Genuine people help unconditionally; fake people help with self-interest.
2. Genuine people always think about how to make you happy; fake people always think about how they can be happy using you.
3. Genuine people are happy and thankful for your success; fake people are envious and bitter about your success.
4. Genuine people sincerely feel your pain and sadness; fake people are pleased when you’re in pain and sadness.
5. Genuine people are there for you through good times and bad times; fake people leave you when you are already useless to them.
6. Genuine people are naturally kind and warm to all people; fake people are only kind to a few and chosen people.
7. Genuine people serve the truth; fake people serve lies.
8. Genuine people defend you; fake people backstab you.
9. Genuine people are accountable; fake people always blame others.
10. Genuine people don’t care about getting credits; fake people are credit grabbers.
11. Genuine people are humble; fake people are boastful and arrogant.
12. Genuine people respect you; fake people are inconsiderate.
13. Genuine people strictly follow moral principles; fake people are immoral.
14. Genuine people love and care through actions; fake people love and care only through words.
15. Genuine people inspire you to be a better person: fake people force you to change for their own comfort.
16. Genuine people introduce you to their family and friends: fake people hide you from their family and friends.
17. Genuine people sincerely forgive and forget; fake people forgive but plan to avenge.
18. Genuine people honestly tell you your flaws and accept them; fake people don’t tell you your flaws but secretly laugh at them.
19. Genuine people need your help because they trust you; fake people only need your help to satisfy their wrong motives.
20. Genuine people are spiritual; fake people are materialistic.
Please visit Fake People vs. Genuine People: 20 Differences You Should Know for the details.
Wrapping up
In our society today where being flawless or perfect is depicted especially on social media sites, it’s very easy to be tempted on becoming something that we’re not. However, we shouldn’t give in to the standards of our society and just embrace who we are. As my mentor in journalism told me, “Remember that to be trusted is better than to be loved.” If you meet this kind of person, remember these tips to avoid the toxic and negative energy get into your life.
ALSO READ: Fake People: How to Identify and Deal with Them
Is quite interesting,that’s a good one here. Thanks for the info.