Emotional detachment can have many positives – it suits our introverted personalities to keep people at a safe distance.

We’re also great at handling criticism and are the go-to person for advice because we remain emotionless in dramatic situations. However, there are also many downsides to being emotionally cold that you can’t recognize unless you’re this type of person:

1. Being the only person who doesn’t cry at the movies

Sometimes, it can be great not to cry at sad movies – it means no snotty mess, no smudged mascara and noisy sniffles. But sometimes, it can be nice to experience a moment of sadness as others around us do, especially when we’re being stared at for being so cold.

Related : 10 Symptoms of Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers That Haunt Them for a Lifetime

2. When people expect you to be open about your feelings

This dreaded scenario can come in many forms – a relationship, a friendship, or sometimes a complete stranger. At some point, you’re going to be expected to talk about your feelings, and if you’re emotionally detached, that simply won’t happen. This doesn’t mean you don’t have any feelings, but you generally don’t want to share the feelings you do have, especially when asked.

3. You tend to feel awkward when someone tells you how they feel

If someone opens up to you about their feelings or emotions, you probably have no idea what to say in response. Whether it’s someone telling you they love you or someone crying on your shoulder about a bad day, your typical response is to awkwardly say “erm” or excuse yourself from the situation.

4. You’re used to being the go-to person in a crisis

Being calm and emotionless means you’re the one who has the upper hand in an emergency. While this is undoubtedly a positive thing, it also means you’ll end up dealing with other people’s problems, too.

5. If you’re in a serious conversation, you tend to use humor

Using humor or sarcasm as a form of humor to hide behind is one of the coping mechanisms you resort to in emotional conversations. Because of this, you’re also used to people close to you getting frustrated with the fact that they can’t have a serious conversation with you.

6. People forget that you have real feelings

People get so used to your cold heart that they get used to saying anything to you—no matter how hurtful it is. Unfortunately, we do have feelings and when people forget that, things don’t end well.

7. Clingy people really scare you

People who are overly dependent and clingy on you really scare you because you’re used to being independent and you’re definitely not used to dealing with a lot of emotions.

8. Not many people know what’s going on in your life

As an emotionally detached person, you tend to keep your mouth shut not only about people, but about your daily life as well. It becomes so common to not rely on others that the people closest to you may actually struggle to keep up with what you’re doing in your life because you’re not telling them.

9. When you love someone, you tend to push them away

Having feelings for another human being can be terrifying for an emotionally detached person, so you tend to keep your mouth shut and push them away as much as possible out of fear of your own feelings.

Related : How Does a Narcissist React When They Can’t Control You? 15 Things to Expect

10. People struggle to deal with you

New people may struggle to deal with your lack of emotional expression, but the important thing is that the people in your life know who you are and accept you for who you are.

It’s not easy being emotionally detached, but knowing that others share your pain makes it a little easier. Can you identify with anything on this list or do you know someone who is emotionally detached? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.