Jealousy is a widely misinterpreted and misunderstood emotion that is often associated with toxicity, insecurity, and anger. In reality, jealous people can sometimes feel most empowered by accepting other people’s success as a source of motivation for their own success.

In these cases, jealousy can be a mutually beneficial trait in partners and friends and can help foster a forward-looking mindset in healthy relationships.

Of course, there are also situations where jealousy can be malicious and stem from feelings of inferiority, insecurity and resentment. If you notice some of the more negative consequences of jealousy, such as clear signs Mindset coach Sapphire Love is on TikTok When disclosed, consider them a warning that someone hopes to invalidate your achievement or diminish your character.

According to the laws of human nature, here are 4 clear signs that someone is extremely jealous of you:

1. They give you ‘dagger eyes’ or negative facial microexpressions

A 2022 study comparing “benign and malicious” jealousy It places a strong emphasis on the power of microexpressions like head turns, eye contact, and body language in deciphering someone’s intentions. If you’re sharing an accomplishment, like a job promotion or a new relationship, and someone expresses an emotion like anger, confusion, or disappointment while “congratulating” you, they’re probably struggling with jealousy.

Love described “dagger eyes,” a body language sign coined by Robert Greene in his book:Laws of Human NatureAs a clear sign of jealous people. Like most people, it is impossible to instantly control your facial expressions.

Our visible microexpressions for just a fraction of a secondIt can direct other people to our true feelings rather than the mask we wear. Look for people’s “dagger eyes” or looks when sharing good news. They can’t control it, but you can find ways to understand it.

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2. They offer ‘poisonous praise’ in response to good news

Similar to “backhanded complimentsWhen you share happy news or try to celebrate a life accomplishment, jealous people often respond with “toxic praise.” Instead of saying “Congratulations, you worked hard” or “I’m proud of you,” they focus on material things like money and access or try to change the conversation in a negative direction.

“Instead of congratulating you on your hard work or personal success, they focus on showing you all the ways it will benefit them, like your higher salary or better travel access,” Love explained.

They can also point out negative things, like how you’ll drift away from your happiness instead of focusing on it, or how you’ll have less free time for a job promotion.

“A lot of people in her life actually do this,” Love said, arguing that it was shocking for her to realize this sign of jealousy. Sometimes, although these comments are not intended to be directly malicious, they can be indicative of someone’s overall opinion of you and the value of your relationship.

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3. They use ‘backbiting’ to reinforce their negative perception of you

Jealous people with bad intentions often create a negative perception of you, even if you don’t know them or have given them any reason to think badly of you.

Typically, their own insecurities fuel this dislike towards you, and they will do anything to reassure themselves that you are a bad person. frequently gossiping to make other people believe it.

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They don’t give you grace when you make a mistake; They will spread or accept untrue rumors and gossip negatively about your character with others. Even though they’re kind to your face, they follow your every move, hoping to disappoint you to feed their own self-confidence and ego..

Despite this, there is some security in knowing that no matter how hard they try to satisfy their own ego, no matter how hard they try to build their own self-esteem and boost their confidence by putting you down, it will only make them even more insecure.

4. They oscillate between praise and harsh criticism

Can be disappointing and confusing accept toxic friends and because the people in your life have often mastered the art of the “seesaw.” As this Love explains, they will alternate between praising and criticizing you no matter the situation.

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They will celebrate your successes while criticizing your work-life balance or investment in a passion. They will share your artwork online and then criticize it to your face.

It can be difficult to determine exactly how they feel because they don’t hesitate to play to both your friendship and their own egos.

“Someone who really cares about you wouldn’t do that to you,” Love said. “They criticize you Because they want to be you, but then they warm up to you being fake. They criticize because they literally want to be you.”

RELATING TO: 10 Toxic Friends You Should Lose When You’re 30

Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News and Entertainment Writer at YourTango, focusing on health and wellness, social policy and human interest stories.