Empathy isn’t such a hard thing to have but you’ll be surprised how many people simply lack it. It’s hard to know exactly how someone without empathy would act without experience. In this article, we take a look at 18 characteristics of people who don’t have an empathetic bone in their body.
Can’t Recognize Others’ Feelings
People who lack empathy often fail to notice when someone else is sad or upset. Most of them will have a hard time identifying emotional cues from others. As a result, they rarely acknowledge others’ emotions simply because they’re blind to them.
Ignore Social Cues
Very Well Health points out that people who lack empathy don’t always pick up on social cues that help with conversations. For example, if someone changes the topic to a more appropriate one, people without empathy might keep talking about the first topic just because they like it.
Indifferent to Others’ Pain
People without empathy rarely react when they see someone else in pain, whether it’s physical or emotional. They probably think that pain is simply a part of life and everyone must learn to deal with it. If they do notice someone’s pain, they often don’t know how to help or what to say.
Can’t Maintain Relationships
Maintaining long-term relationships is challenging for those who don’t empathize with others. These people tend to have frequent conflicts with friends and family because they don’t know how to coexist with others. The people in their lives will often feel unloved and unsupported as a result of their lack of affection.
Cutting Off Conversations
You might see that some people frequently interrupt during conversations to bring the focus back to themselves. This need to control the conversation and ignore what others are saying makes it hard for everyone to speak equally. To deal with this behavior peacefully Indeed recommends discussing the issue later on in private.
Overly Critical and Judgmental
Everyone knows that person who loves brutal honesty, even when it’s uncalled for. Their criticism can come off as harsh because they don’t consider the feelings of others. It’s important for everyone to understand that brutal honesty is only necessary if someone asks for it.
Lack of Guilt or Remorse
Even when their actions clearly hurt others, unempathetic people show no remorse or guilt. They don’t feel any guilt about how their actions make others feel. In fact, some might go ahead and defend their hurtful actions to the death. Always be wary of people who show no signs of guilt or remorse.
Can’t Handle Criticism
Even though unempathetic people love to criticize and ridicule others, they don’t like it when it’s done to them. No matter how valid it may be, there is a defense or outright denial of criticism. To them, it’s always someone else’s fault and never theirs. In other words, they don’t like the taste of their own medicine.
Impulsive and Self-Centered Decisions
Some people make decisions impulsively and mainly think about themselves. They often decide things based on what they’ll gain, not caring much about how it affects others. These choices are usually focused on their immediate needs and desires. They don’t think much about the future or the potential negative effects on other people.
Minimal Emotional Reaction
When it comes to emotions, people with no empathy show very limited reactions. They don’t usually feel or show strong emotions like excitement, sadness, or anger in everyday situations. Their emotions tend to be more subdued or just not appropriate to what’s happening around them.
Unwilling to Offer Help
Some people aren’t very willing to help others, especially if they don’t get something back. They often avoid situations where they might need to offer emotional support. You may be able to talk about this problem but CNBC psychologists say it’s better to leave selfish people alone as they rarely change their ways.
Staying Emotionally Detached
In relationships, certain people keep things very surface-level. They don’t talk much about their emotions and stay away from deep connections. Their relationships usually miss out on real warmth and closeness. This way, they avoid getting too attached emotionally.
Ignoring Different Views
Some people quickly dismiss others’ opinions if they are different from their own. They’re not really interested in hearing out different viewpoints. Their conversations tend to be one-sided, without a real exchange of ideas, making it hard to share different opinions.
Manipulative Behaviors
Manipulation is a common behavior among people who lack empathy. It’s hard to tell if someone is manipulating you but Psych Central says to watch out for people who insist on pushing your boundaries. Manipulative people might also use your emotions against you and lie to achieve their goals.
Don’t Show Gratitude
Saying thank you is basic human decency but it seems to be too much trouble for these people. You’ll find that they rarely say “thank you” or acknowledge others’ efforts to help them. They take others’ help for granted and see no point in acknowledging their efforts. It’s as if the help is expected.
Insensitivity to Social Context
Some people often make inappropriate comments or jokes, especially in situations that need more sensitivity. They may not get the vibe of the room or see why their words might hurt someone, resulting in comments that can upset others.
Resistance to Change
Change is a part of life and anyone that refuses to accept it gets left behind. Unempathetic people find it hard to adapt to new situations, especially those that need them to consider how others feel or think. These people often see no reason to change their behavior, even if it could improve the situation.
Using Others
Exploitation is another issue with people who view relationships primarily as tools for their own benefit. They might take advantage of others’ kindness or use people to achieve their goals without giving anything in return. For them, relationships are just tools, not something to cherish or improve.
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