You have a sneaky suspicion that someone might be the green-eyed monster around you. So, here are the signs someone is jealous of you and what to do.
When a person experiences success, fame, or is living a good life, they attract admiration and jealousy. With that, you may be wondering how to tell if someone is jealous of you or not. What are the signs someone is jealous of you?
Jealousy is one thing that we’d all be better off without. But sadly, it is someone inherent to our humanity. But if you can’t interpret why someone acts the way they do toward you, understanding how to tell if someone is jealous of you helps.
This can teach you to have patience with others or understand why they may treat you with disrespect. You’ve surely been jealous before. So, knowing when someone is jealous of you can help you see things from their perspective. It can even give a little boost to your ego.
It may not be easy at first, but you can learn how to tell if someone is jealous of you, and also, the best ways to deal with it. And we’ll get to all of that here in this feature.
[Read: Why am I so jealous? The reasons we feel it and how to fix it]
Why would someone be jealous of you?
Odds are you’ve been jealous of someone. Right? You’ve coveted someone’s money or success. But, jealousy isn’t always so obvious. Learning how to tell if someone is jealous of you isn’t as easy as seeing them turn green with envy.
You don’t need to be rich and famous for people to be jealous of you. You could be smart, have a loving partner, or just be happy. Sometimes having a positive attitude can even make someone jealous of you!
Usually, all this jealousy is linked to insecurity more than anything else.
Don’t assume someone can’t be jealous of you because you don’t have the common things that lead to envy. There is so much going on with others we don’t know, and they could even be jealous of things you actually feel insecure about.
But knowing how to read the signs someone is jealous of you will give you more answers about their feelings. [Read: Jealousy vs Envy – 22 signs to tell them apart when they both feel the same]
How to read the subtle signs someone is jealous of you
“Jealousy is a snake in the grass,” or so folk wisdom says. It hides, so it becomes difficult to detect, unlike other obvious emotions, like anger.
And like the snake metaphor, jealousy comes from people close to us. It may come from friends, co-workers, or even family. So how does one detect the “green-eyed monster” lurking within the people around them? Here are the signs that someone is jealous of you.
1. Jealous people ply you with false praise and insincere compliments
One thing jealous people want is to let others know that they are, in fact, not jealous of you.
So, when the good news comes in your favor, they do the safe thing by acting supportive and giving you fake lip service. Then roll their eyes in disdain once they’re in the clear. [Read: 14 ways to instantly recognize fake people and stay away]
2. They try to downplay your achievements
The greatest pet peeve of jealous people is when the object of their jealousy continues to achieve success.
When this happens, they want to make themselves feel better by downplaying your success by associating it with things other than your skill.
Therefore, it is typical for them to say things such as “She got that promotion because she sucks up to the boss,” or “He got in because he’s connected to the manager.” They refuse to admit that you are, in fact, better than them.
3. They flaunt their successes more than their actual merit
While you enjoy your achievements in humble silence, a jealous person tries to make themselves feel better by drowning out your praise by overemphasizing their own little achievements despite that it pales in comparison to yours.
They may claim their college is a better one or that they worked harder to get where they are. A major sign someone is jealous of you is them tooting their own horn.
4. Jealous people deliberately give bad advice
Since they don’t want you to add more to your hall of achievements, they purposely sabotage your attempts by giving you bad advice or discouraging you from even trying. Remember, what they want in life is for you to fail. [Read: 25 bad friends you should unfriend from your life]
5. Jealous people imitate you
Jealous people want what you have. For them, it’s like a game of “who did it better.” Expect that person to imitate you in various ways.
If you’re the pretty one who gets all the admiration, they imitate your fashion style and add their little flair to it. If you’re a good photographer, they take up photography and join competitions too.
It would actually seem like a good thing if they compete with you this way, but they are merely trying hard. Most likely, they don’t even like the things they imitate you with.
6. They are very competitive with you
As mentioned, a sign someone is jealous of you is wanting to outdo you. It is in a jealous person’s nature to steal the glory they think you don’t deserve.
As a result, they are very competitive, especially if the jealous person works alongside you in the same workplace. They will go to lengths to exceed your efforts even if it’s unnecessary to show off that they’re better.
7. Jealous people criticize you in every aspect
Have you ever met a person who spouts criticism at you every chance they get that it seems they look forward to it? The person likely harbors jealousy towards you.
An average person drops some criticism at some point, but jealous people make a career out of pointing out your mistakes every second of the day and in the most inappropriate times. [Read: Destructive relationships – The 4 types you have to get away from]
8. They celebrate your failures
Of course, they will not break into a victory dance when your boss reprimands you for a mistake, but count on it. Deep inside, they celebrate your failures.
First, they’ll be in an unusually good mood after your failure, and then they’ll have the guts to be friendly and ply you with fake consolation to savor their perceived “victory” over you. This is one of the big signs that someone is jealous of you.
9. They are absent during your moments of success
The last thing a jealous person wants is to be present at a gathering celebrating another person’s success. Not only does it make them uncomfortable, but it also heightens their sense of insecurity. A sign someone is jealous of you is avoiding your good moments.
Expect a jealous person to avoid celebrations for your success or happiness by being elusive if you get the chance to ask them to join in. [Read: Ghosting a friend – 10 scenarios when it’s completely okay to do it]
10. They talk behind your back
Jealous people are called “snakes in the grass” for a reason. While they are non-confrontational and may even pass off as friendly, they fight their battle against you underhandedly.
One of these is talking behind your back. They may either spread gossip, downplay your achievements as they do, or talk crap about you behind your back.
11. They will humiliate you in front of others
Jealous people take every chance they can to downplay your achievements or criticize you. One way that combines both is to humiliate you in front of others.
What do they achieve from this? First, they consolidate their standing as the superior person, and second, they reduce your credibility by doing this in front of others. It’s a win-win situation for them. [Read: How to build self-confidence and 16 ways to realize you’re worth it]
12. They hate you for no reason at all
Let’s admit it. Jealous people won’t admit that they’re jealous of you because it adds to their insecurity. And for this fact, they hate you in every aspect and show this hate in any way possible, even if it doesn’t make sense at all.
You’ve never done anything to them, and you’ve always been kind, but they just don’t like you. It could be a sign that they are jealous of you.
13. They’re nosy
Jealous people want to know all about you. It is sort of like online trolls following people just to leave mean comments. It is a hate following.
They are obsessed with hating you. They want to find out what is going on in your life so they can make rude comments or just have more to be jealous of. It feels good and bad to them at the same time.
They may go to you for their information. They may follow you online or ask others for hot gossip. But they will always find a way to learn more about you. [Read: Attention seeking behavior and why some people go looking for drama]
14. They claim you’re lucky
One of the major signs someone is jealous of you is they never give you credit. They don’t want to believe you deserve the success or happiness you have.
They claim you are lucky to have gotten where you are. A jealous person doesn’t want to admit their jealousy, so they will ignore your hard work and the fact that you’ve earned what you have.
15. They’re sneaky
They are sneaky and sly. Someone jealous of you will try to be nice to you but then go behind your back and steal your ideas. They will take credit for your work. Or they will spread rumors about you. They may even claim that you stole their ideas.
They are sneaky because their jealousy is taking over. And jealousy is a very powerful emotion.
16. They play the victim
Part of playing the victim role is saying their situations are “unfair.” They think it’s “unfair” that you have certain things and they don’t. Pay attention to how they talk about other people and just the world in general.
If they are talking in a negative way and how everything is unfair to them, then you can rest assured that they think they’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to you too. They are just blaming outside circumstances for why they don’t have what you have. [Read: Playing victim – 13 signs and reasons why it makes your life worse]
17. They ignore your social media
Another one of the signs that someone is jealous of you is that they ignore your social media. You know that this person is active on social media because they post about themselves all the time.
Not only that, but they also make a lot of comments on other people’s posts. But not yours.
They stay away from yours like the plague. Whenever you post something positive, they purposefully ignore it. [Read: Dangers of social media – why it makes you feel really insecure]
18. They’re always negative
Sometimes jealousy can be subtle, so you can’t always point it out. However, you can find it if you listen to what they say. Usually, a jealous person’s comments will be quite passive-aggressive or direct and negative.
For example, if you confide in them about something bad that happened to you, then they will just counter it by telling you how awful their life is. Then, you might end up comforting them rather than focusing on your own problems.
19. They act insecure
The only real reason a person is jealous is that they are insecure about themselves. So, if one of your friends is the insecure type, they might be jealous of you too.
People who love themselves and are comfortable in their own skin don’t get very jealous of others. But insecurity definitely brings out the green-eyed monster. [Read: 20 signs of insecurity people can’t hide when they feel insecure]
20. They take credit for your work
Maybe this person is part of your co-worker team at work, or you’re working on a project with them at school. If you find yourself becoming very annoyed because they constantly claim the success that should be entirely yours, then they are probably jealous of you.
For example, if you got your dream job, a jealous person might say, “That’s because I helped you prepare for the interview. They always try to find a way to be part of your success and not give you total credit for it.
21. They make snide comments
Of course, jealous people won’t ever tell you directly that you’re jealous and insecure. But they will need some sort of way for all the bad energy that is trapped inside them. So, it might slip out in the form of unsolicited snide comments. [Read: 25 mean signs of a fake friend who doesn’t care about you at all]
They might say something sarcastic, or indirect, and they’re almost always negative. And usually, their comments aren’t just limited to you. They might target other people too. When someone is overly jealous, these thoughts dominate their thinking.
How to deal with a jealous person
Now that you know the signs that someone is jealous of you, how can you deal with it? It’s always annoying when you have the green-eyed monster present in your life. Here are some ideas.
1. Compliment and encourage them
Because jealous people are insecure, you want to shower them with as many compliments as you can.
When you do that, hopefully, they will stop comparing themselves to you. Tell them how proud you are of them and their life. [Read: How to deal with self-centered people without losing your mind]
2. Don’t take their bait
Jealous people will do things to try to draw you into their misery.
For example, if they’re playing the victim and being negative, just refuse to play their game. Say positive things and that you have faith in them. Don’t let them “win” the jealousy game.
3. Don’t brag in front of them
You may or may not like to talk about your accomplishments and/or what is good about your life. And that’s fine.
But if you do it in front of a jealous person, it won’t go over well. Remind them that life is not a competition, and they can do their own thing.
4. Talk to them about it
If you’ve tried everything to get them to stop being jealous, but it’s just not working, you might just have to be direct, honest, and upfront about it.
Ask them if they are jealous of you and why. If they say yes, then try to convince them that they have no reason to feel that way. Encourage them and make it positive.
[Read: How to recognize the signs of jealousy in someone and guide them out]
Jealousy is nothing but a slow poison that corrodes relationships. As such, it should be avoided but without knowing how to tell if someone is jealous of you, you can’t very well avoid it, can you? These are signs that someone who is jealous of you should help.
