6 Characteristics & Traits That Unpopular People Share

It's often the small details that determine whether people are popular or not. Indeed, there are certain habits and characteristics that can lead us down the wrong path when it comes to making the right impression. It's a fairly serious issue too, as the ability to win over people is a key factor in professional success and personal happiness.

With that in mind, communication experts have analyzed which personal characteristics we should try to remove from our lives. Here are their findings — does any of the below apply to you?

1. Being Unauthentic

An insincere smile and talk of great "life achievements" —  those within earshot know right away that someone is trying too hard to keep up appearances. You won't see much self-irony or spontaneity with this lot either. Fake people want to be liked by other people more than anything — and there's nothing wrong with that per se, but putting in too much energy will leave people cold.

2. Blowing Your Own Horn

Self-praise is no recommendation. People with a high opinion of themselves often alienate themselves from others as they try to grab all of the attention. A particularly cringeworthy form of self-praise is fishing for compliments, which involves the person going to great efforts to play down their achievements so that others will flatter them. It's fine to be proud of your abilities, but only bring them up when it's appropriate to do so.

3. Showing No Interest In Others

If you openly show disinterest towards your colleagues' private lives or your friends' family vacation stories, you're missing a trick. Everyone enjoys receiving attention — so the more open you are to others, the friendlier you appear. It's not just boastful attention-seekers who show a lack of interest, as gloomy introverts also have a habit of thinking only about themselves.

4. Not Valuing Others

Whether you keep it to yourself or voice your opinions, you're going to find it hard to make friends if you always see the worst in people. Instead, it's best to take a positive approach based on trust when it comes to meeting people, as more often than not this will be reciprocated. Incidentally, arrogance is usually nothing more than uncertainty under the surface.   

5. Negative Nancy

Is there a noticeable change in mood when a certain somebody shows up at the office? The consequences are more serious than you may think. People who only focus on the negatives can suck out plenty of emotional energy from those around them. And that can be downright exhausting over time. A little positivity goes a long way.

6. Constant Needless Competition

Higher, faster, stronger — even when it comes to being sick, some people always need to one-up you. This sends a clear message that shows the person in question is only thinking about themselves. A particularly annoying form of needless competition is being a know-it-all, and it's especially embarrassing when there's little to support this purported knowledge. It's not a good look at all...

So why is it the case these characteristics are more prominent in some people than others? Research shows that such behavior can often be attributed to a low sense of self-worth. German psychologist Dr. Rolf Merkle explains, "If you're always wanting to be better than others, constantly knowing better, always confronting other people, being moody and only talking about yourself, that shows you have only one thing in mind: building up your ego." Well, that's certainly food for thought!