5 Signs Someone Doesn’t Like You

In this article we’re going to talk about the signs someone doesn’t like you.

Chances are that somewhere in your travels across the internet galaxy, you’ve stumbled upon articles about the signs someone likes you. In fact, you can find plenty of content around this topic. 

However, we probably don’t talk enough about the opposite situation: how to tell if someone isn’t a fan of us.

What follows are a few clues someone doesn’t quite like you — and what you can do.

How to Tell if Someone Doesn’t Like You: 5 Clear Signs

1. They’ll Keep Conversations Very Short

As licensed marriage and family therapist Katie Ziskind explains, when someone isn’t a fan of you, they’ll keep conversations very short.

If you think about it, someone who enjoys your company usually wants to be around you and will make an effort to keep the conversation going. 

If you ask them a question, they probably won’t answer with just a yes, a maybe, or a no.

They’ll articulate an answer and may also ask you some interesting questions.

Instead, when someone doesn’t like you, you’ll feel like they’re trying to avoid you. 

For example, if you initiate a conversation with them, they’ll give you a quick and superficial answer, avoid eye contact, and in some cases, they’ll even find an excuse to walk away.

What you can do, in a nutshell:

Simple, move on. Talk to someone else.

2. They Might Leave Your Messages Unread and Never Reply

As Ziskind mentions, “Someone who doesn’t like you might even leave your messages unread and will not reply.”

This one happened to me, it was not very pleasant, but I decided not to take it personally. 

Last year, I messaged an old “friend” I hadn’t seen in a long time. I wanted to talk to her about a job opportunity I knew she could be interested in. 

Long story short, I just checked that conversation out of curiosity, and the message I sent her over one year ago still shows as unread. 

This type of behavior doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bothered by you, or that they have something against you. 

However, it probably means they don’t consider you as a close friend and are not interested in interacting with you. 

In other words, they don’t consider your relationship or friendship as a priority.

What you can do, in a nutshell:

When someone leaves your message unread for two years, just accept their no. Especially if you don’t have a close relationship with them. 

It’s not something you should take personally. What you can do is simply move on and focus on the people who make you feel great.

3. Every Time You Talk to Them, They Seem Distracted

Another sign someone doesn’t quite enjoy your company is they seem distracted every time you’re talking to them. 

Instead of listening to you and making eye contact, they look around and you can feel they’re not giving you their undivided attention. 

And it happens every time you talk to them.

What you can do, in a nutshell:

Simple: don’t force those conversations. Have some self-respect and talk to people who enjoy your company.

4. They’ve Said Negative Things About You to Others

As clinical psychologist Dena Di Nardo explains, another sign someone doesn’t like you is they talk badly about you to other people when you’re not present.

When someone doesn’t like you, they tend to mostly focus on the traits they dislike. 

Sometimes, and often, this rises to the degree of their sharing those negative impressions with other people.

What you can do, in a nutshell:

Avoid these people.

5. Their Body Language Isn’t Open

As Manat Kaur, psychologist at MantraCare, mentions, observing non-verbal communication can be a good way to see whether somebody enjoys your presence or not.

Open non-verbal communication usually means someone likes you and is acknowledging you. 

Along these lines, when somebody consistently displays a closed body language with you, it’s generally not a good sign. 

Especially if their body language is open with other people.

When someone has a closed body language they tend to cross their arms, cross their legs, pointing their body away from you — especially their feet, and maintain a physical distance from you.

What you can do, in a nutshell:

If you consistently see someone has a closed body language (only) with you, don’t insist on talking to them. Move on and talk to someone else.

Signs Someone Doesn’t Like You – Final Thoughts

If you someone makes you feel like you’re annoying them, have some self-respect: walk away and never bother them again.

To summarize, these are the signs someone doesn’t quite like you:

1. They keep conversations very short,
2. They might leave your messages unread and never reply,
3. Every time you talk to them, they seem distracted,
4. They’ve said negative things about you to others,
5. Their body language isn’t open.

Photo by Алексей Маркин on Unsplash