I feel sorry for the fake people.

While their lies, acting out, and general lack of substance may seem malicious or mean, they usually act this way because they don’t have a lot of self-esteem.

They also generally have very poor self-concepts – basically, they don’t know who they really are and aren’t eager to find out.

The funny thing is that they think the rest of us are deluded.

Well – breaking news! – has not been.

It’s very easy to spot fake people because they are generally very transparent, and the things they say are as deep as a wading pool.

Are you looking to get rid of the fakers in your life?

Here are ten things fake people do that instantly reveal them to help you in your search.

1) They only pretend to listen.

“Huh?”

This has to be the favorite word for all the fake people out there.

Why? Because they are always bad listeners. They are so immersed in their image and strategic positioning that they no longer have much attention to give to anyone else.

So when you talk to them, usually only half of them are there.

While an active listener will show you that he or she is listening by making comments, nodding, and asking relevant questions at appropriate times, a fake person cannot fake these comments well enough.

You can always spot them when you ask for their thoughts, and they can’t give you a reasonable answer.

They just didn’t listen.

Maybe they were playing on their phone or thinking about something else and just pretending to pay attention to what you’re saying.

2) They always let you have your say first.

Hey, that’s nice, right?

I mean, usually, people are climbing over each other to say what they’re thinking.

What a breath of fresh air, you would think that someone would be waiting for you to say what you think first!

But you better be careful, because for fake people, there is an ulterior motive here.

Why do they let you express yourself first?

So of course they can agree!

It’s a simple strategy, but it tends to work because we all really like to be asked and given opportunities to express our opinions. That’s how they get you.

Fake people will keep their true opinions very close to their chest, and instead, they will agree with what someone else says.

This makes them seem accepted and helps them fit into the group, even if they have completely different ideas about things.

3) They have two or more faces.

The thing that fake people do that instantly exposes them is to talk out of both sides of their mouth.

No, I’m not talking about ventriloquism here!

I mean, they’ll say one thing to someone, and then turn around and say something completely different to someone else.

I had a coworker who was a total fake, and everyone knew it.

I can ask her what she thinks about a new procedure at work, for example, and if it seems like a good idea, she’ll tell me she’s done it too.

Later, I talked to a co-worker and discovered she said the exact opposite thing. After a while, it became a game, and we would often compare notes on all the different and conflicting opinions and positions that this multifaceted coworker always had.

She simply has no substance and will say whatever seems like the right thing at the time to allow her to get along with whoever she is talking to.

4) They were there one day, gone the next.

Fake people make fickle friends.

This is more than just alliteration – it’s the truth!

True friends will stand by you through thick and thin, and the important thing is being thin.

Don’t expect your friend to suddenly dump you once you’re struggling or if you’re not popular at the moment.

But the fake person will track it down immediately.

They have no qualms about abandoning you if you no longer serve their needs. They make “friends” to develop themselves and improve their social standing.

As soon as this situation seems to change, they will disappear and leave you holding the bag.

But don’t worry, you’re better off without fake friends in your life, anyway!

5) They never apologize.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“Mistakes were made.”

I’m sure these fake apologies sound familiar, perhaps from the political news.

But who is more fake than politicians these days?

It should come as no surprise that fake people use double talk and make fake apologies but never admit they are wrong.

They use formulaic language to distance themselves from any responsibility or accountability. They think we can’t say it, or that we’re stupid enough to think they actually mean they’re sorry.

Apologizing means you accept that you made a mistake, and this can make you look bad.

Fake people never care about looking bad, so don’t expect to hear anything from them except fake apologies.

6) They absorb.

It’s nice to receive a compliment, especially on days when you’re not feeling too confident, right?

Fake people know the full power of flattery and use it as a tool to get what they want, which is usually to the people’s advantage.

Of course, they don’t just praise anyone for anything old. Oh no, their flattery is strategic and pointed.

It is only directed towards people who they believe will help them advance – economically, socially, or otherwise.

So they will flatter their boss or their boss’s boss. They will lick the boots of people who are very popular in groups but ignore people who seem to have secondary roles.

7) They do not make themselves vulnerable.

To have a real, intimate connection with another person, you have to let the other person in.

You have to let them see a part of you that you might keep out of reach of most other people.

By being vulnerable in this way, you invite the other person to understand you more deeply and share experiences together.

Fake people, as you might expect, never open up. They don’t turn over and show you their bellies, but rather keep things covered and hidden at all times.

Why do they act this way?

Most often, because they are afraid of intimacy. They worry that if they show their true selves, they will be judged just as they judge others all the time.

8) They focus on their appearance.

Taking pride in your appearance is completely normal, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

I mean, fake people are completely preoccupied with how they will be perceived in different situations, and how their actions and behavior will look to others.

The problem is that this is a completely superficial way of thinking about themselves.

Instead of focusing on how their actions represent the type of person they are, they are only concerned with perception.

So when a fake person does anything, good or bad, they automatically go into image management mode. They may post on social media to make themselves look really good or try to cover up something they did to avoid looking bad.

Classic fake behavior!

9) They are manipulative.

However, fake people manipulate more than just how they are seen on social media.

They are often good at manipulating information and people, or at least they think they are.

They like to imagine that the image they present is completely under their control and no one can see through it.

They will happily hide information, show or tell only one side of the story, or try to play other people against each other.

But all of these procedures are designed to do one thing – make themselves look good.

However, they run into problems when they try to present narratives or versions of the truth to people who know better. Then they fall into the trap of their own manipulations.

10) They play the victim.

Do you know someone who is always hurting or hurting in every situation?

Fake people like to play the victim, especially in situations where they’re not there at all.

I had an ex-boyfriend who was great at flipping the script. No matter what happened, she always came across as a victim in need of support and sympathy.

But when I learned how much of a gossip and social troublemaker she was, it made a lot of sense.

She was proactively covering up her mean behavior and getting my support behind it to help her look like the victim.

Well, it didn’t last long!

Conclusion

These 10 Things Fake People Do That Turn Them Off Immediately are usually very transparent and easy to spot.

But every now and then we fall into their traps.

Armed with this knowledge of all their fake techniques, I hope you will never be fooled by any fake people in your life again!

Conclusion

Trending now