‘Wanna know how to know a fake friend when you see one? Here are the surefire signs of a fake friend that you must know and remember.
A fake friend is there to hinder you rather than help you. They try to sabotage your successes out of jealousy and stab you in the back when you aren’t around.
Anytime you’re a victim of bullying, the loneliness sets in quickly and it’s easy to choose the first person who smiles at you as a friend. Sadly, this can compound your trouble if you aren’t careful.
In this post, you will learn all the signs that a person isn’t on the up and up and what you can do to protect yourself.
Once you learn all these indicators, you will be able to spot a fake friend from a mile away and cut off contact before the person can do any damage to your self-esteem.
This post is all about the fake friend and the clues they unknowingly put out to warn you.
Fake Friend
Nefarious people are experts at hiding their evil and they do it under the cover of concern and love. Bullies and fake friends are such people and it can be difficult to spotlight them until it’s too late.
Moreover, after they’ve harmed us, we’re often left shocked and bewildered.
Fortunately, there are signs you can look for if you know what they are. Here’s what you can do to spot frenemies, fakes, and undercover bullies:
1. Always observe the people around you
This is, perhaps, the most important. Watching those around you and reading the room gives you a sneak preview of the personalities you’re likely to deal with and it can save you trouble before it even starts!
Therefore, always observe, without looking like you’re watching, of course. The best way to do this is to use your peripheral vision to scan your environment and the people in it.
You’ll be surprised at how quickly you pick up on others’ moods. Moreover, if there’s an elephant in the room, you’ll sense that as well.
2. Fake friend.
Look for body language that isn’t congruent with words and context
Actions speak louder than words. Therefore, if the body language of the person you’ll dealing with doesn’t match their words, you might want to rethink your association with them.
Moreover, if the nonverbals don’t align with the situation, you should precede with caution. This next bit of advice goes without saying.
If the persons nonverbal cues show even a hint of hostility and discomfort when they’re around you, then “Houston, we have a problem.”
3. Watch for micro flashes
If you’re not careful, you’re likely to miss those tiny, split-second micro flashes of contempt people give without realizing it. Also, they may do it when they think you aren’t aware of it.
There are good actors; don’t get me wrong, but there are certain things the body gives away involuntarily. Therefore, if you look for it, you’ll see it.
Here’s what happens sometimes when you’re around fake friends. As you turn your back, you’ll see a tiny micro flash of contempt on their faces. And you’ll usually see it out of the corner of your eye.
Next, you’ll get that nagging feeling in the pit of your gut. Don’t ignore that because you aren’t only imagining things!
You must realize that this is your gut trying to warn you. Therefore, eighty-six this creep fast!
4. Fake Friend:
Notice the person’s feet
You can tell a lot by the feet! If the person is talking to you, facing you, but their feet are pointing away from you, that means they aren’t as “with you” as you think.
Understand that the feet always point in the direction the person want to go. Therefore, put some distance between you and that person.
5. Watch for crossed arms while talking to the person
If you’re having a conversation with the person and they cross their arms over their chest, that’s a dead giveaway! They’re exhibiting closed body language.
In other words, they’re closing themselves off to anything you have to say. It’s time to make an excuse to end the tete-a-tete and walk away. You don’t want this person around you.
This is the last person you want to have a conversation with.
6. Looking at you without blinking
if they do this, it’s a sure sign of contempt, or they’re trying to intimidate you. Either way, this person is not the person you want to be around.
The best thing to do is to mirror the person. In other words, reflect the exact same body language back at them. The reason you do this is to show the bully that they don’t intimidate you one bit and that you can take care of yourself in an altercation if you have to.
7. Fake Friend:
Other signs to look for
Watch for a furrowed brow and one corner of the lip slightly raised. Also, notice any icy, piercing stares or smiling at you with their mouth but not the eyes (no crinkles around the eyes).
If you see any of these signs, you might want to get rid of this person.
8. If they look at you, then look at each other when you walk away
This is a bad sign. Why? Because, by looking at each other when you walk away, the two people are basically saying to one another, “Wow! Get a load of this guy!”
Again, drop these idiots like a bad habit. They don’t deserve to be in your presence.
9. Watch what you share
Very important! Don’t tell anyone anything they don’t need to know. Not even to those who seem friendly.
In other words, don’t reveal information that’s better off private. Don’t badmouth anybody, especially the bullies, to anyone. Your fake friend may smile in your face, but you can be sure they’ll report back to the bullies with anything you say and try to fan the flames.
Fake friends and bullies also have ways of weaponizing information that seems innocent. For instance, if you and your partner went to a theater to watch a slasher film, nefarious people can use this to paint you in a bad light. Therefore, be very careful what you reveal.
10. Fake Friend:
Watch for eavesdroppers
If you have an innocent conversation with someone in the hall, be on the lookout for the fake friend to eavesdrop. In fact, watch out for eavesdroppers. Period.
Moreover, don’t talk near corners or open doors. The world is chock full of nosy people who are just salivating for a juicy story to tell.
Many times people will listen in on your discussion, then report back to the bullies with it. Pay attention to people who walk by.
Moreover, beware if you see other people standing around while you’re speaking and those people aren’t a part of the conversation. The best thing to do in this scenario is to take the discussion to a place more private, being sure you aren’t being followed.
Understand that fake friends and bullies will always keep a watchful eye on you. And while they observe you, they will be waiting, with bated breath, for you to screw up and reveal any personal information or secrets.
11. Listen to your gut!
This is perhaps the second most important thing you should do. Your gut feeling is also called your intuition, your instinct, or your sixth sense.
Always trust your gut because it’s your innate, inner alarm that sounds when there’s danger nearby. Also, it is never wrong.
Therefore, if you ever get the sense that something isn’t right about a person, pay close attention. It just might be your gut trying to warn you that this person isn’t good for you and that trouble may be on the horizon if you continue to associate with them.
Moreover, if your so-called friend seems to resent any successes or wins you score, this is a dead giveaway. And they won’t have to say a word. You’ll be able to tell by the look on their face. In fact, your gut will warn you.
Therefore, drop them. Fast!
In Conclusion:
In order to protect yourself, you must keep your eyes and ears peeled and be an avid people-watcher. Moreover, you must also trust your instincts. In other words, your gut!
Understand that trusting your gut, coupled with watching others and being skilled in reading body language will help you to avoid attaching yourself to a fake friend.
As a result, you will be able to avoid any future entanglements with bad people.
Only when you pay attention to other people, will you be able to see behind the masks bullies and fakers wear.
This post was all about the fake friend and the signs you must watch for to avoid them, and, ultimately, save yourself a ton of trouble down the road.
Related posts you’ll enjoy:
1. Fake Friends: 13 Surefire Signs They Don’t Like You for You
2. How to Spot a Bully: 13 Must-Know Body-Language Examples
3. Why Fake Friends Stick Around: 6 Must-Know Reasons
4. How to Spot Fake Friends: 7 Proven Tricks to Instantly Out Them
5. Removing Toxic People: 5 Successful Ways to Give Them the Boot