17 Things You Probably Shouldn't Brag About, And If You Do, You May Have Some Red Flags
The other day, redditor u/m_yoda20 asked the internet, "What is something people brag about that signals a red flag?" People shared tons of sayings that are actually red flag–worthy, and TBH, you'll want to take notes.
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Here are some of the most eye-opening responses:
1."Most people I’ve come across who boast about being good people, are actually massive pieces of sh*t."
2."When someone tries to one-up your struggles; it’s not only annoying, but a huge red flag. If I said I didn’t get a lot of sleep, they would be like, 'Oh that’s wild, I got five seconds of sleep while I was being dangled over a fireproof alligator pit filled with lava from a fishing line.' It just shows that they will literally never be there for you and make every conversation about themselves."
3."How easily they can manipulate people, or how good they are at lying."
"I had a friend who prided himself on being a lying, manipulative psychopath. I knew it was a front to mask his desperate insecurity, so I stayed his friend regardless of how he pretended to be. Then that persona eclipsed his better self, and he turned on me, literally trying to gaslight me at one point. Should’ve seen it coming a mile away, but for some reason, I thought he would spare me."
4."I had a coworker tell me that she 'drives great drunk.'"
"My best friend does this. She has given me rides before as I’m disabled and cannot drive. When we got home, she apologized for being emotional because she was drunk. It makes me uncomfortable, and I don’t know how to tell her that I’m not okay with her driving me around while drunk. Every time I’ve mentioned it, she gets defensive."
5."I used to work with a guy who could always 'get you a better deal' no matter what it was. I got a mobile upgrade to a brand new phone — free, half price line rental, etc. — and he said, 'I could have got you that with a quarter-priced line rental, and another handset as well.'"
6."When people brag about how overprotective their partner is. Never ends well."
7."When people brag about money. Any actual rich person will usually rather try to be more low-key to avoid people using them."
"When someone brags about how much they spend on something. I knew one person that when they took a trip they would emphasize how they flew first class, what luxury hotel they stayed in, the restaurants they ate at, etc. Tacky as hell, and it's basically throwing in people's faces how the rest of us can’t afford that."
8."I was at a party and asked my friend who that guy over there was, and he was like, 'so and so from New York.' And I said, 'Oh god, New Yorkers always brag about where they live, their income, and their occupation.' In the first sentence this guy says ALL 3, and we start busting up laughing. What a stooge."
9."Trust fund babies who say that their success is due to their 'hard work' or 'hustling.'"
10."When people brag about how many hours they work. They speak of it as if people who work 'only' 40 hours a week are lazy or inferior."
11."'I'm just blunt and tell it like it is' Translates to: 'I'm just an abrasive a-hole who finds every opportunity to bring people down.'"
12."When people brag about their intelligence. 'I'd join MENSA, just haven't taken the test yet' — my former roommate, who couldn't get a job because he always 'intimidated the interviewer' since he was such a 'genius.'"
"Smart people don't talk about being smarter than everyone. It's related to the Dunning-Kruger effect. People who don't know much about a topic overestimate their knowledge because of their limited view on the topic, while an expert on the topic who is really educated on it can overview its complexity and therefore knows that theres still much to further learn about."
13."When people brag about getting into/winning physical fights. Tell me more about how you beat some dude to a pulp."
14."People who brag about never reading books."
"I've never understood this one. It's not an accomplishment. Babies don't read books. In fact, I have several cats who don't read books."
15."I worked with a guy who bragged about being in prison for most of his life, and how somehow everyone was stupid to him."
"In high school, I was hanging with a slightly rough crowd, and one of the older guys chuckled and told me, 'you’d never make it in prison,' as if it was some kind of diss."
16."When people brag about how hard they partied and/or how popular they were in high school."
And finally...
17."When people brag about being 'cut from a different cloth' or 'built different.'"
"Ah yes. The desperate desire to be unique and special in a world of 8 billion people. Understandable, but deluded."
Oof. What are some other things people brag about that actually signal red flags? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
