Jealousy is a destructive, all-consuming, toxic emotion. It feeds paranoia, ruins relationships and has a detrimental impact on those it touches. Jealousy stems from insecurity, resentment, or covetousness. But how do you deal with a jealous person?
Perhaps they’re passive-aggressive or always nitpicking what you do. Maybe they lash out at you, badmouth you, or set you up for failure. Whatever the circumstances, they’re making your life a misery and now you’re fed up. If you’ve reached the end of your patience, here’s how to annoy a jealous person.
How to Annoy a Jealous Person
Before I start, this article isn’t about annoying every jealous person you know. Some jealous people are dangerous. For instance, avoid provoking an obsessive partner who constantly checks your phone and wants to know your location. There are better ways of dealing with toxic relationships.
This article is about mean-spirited people who can’t celebrate your successes and make your life insufferable. It’s to help those who have exhausted their efforts to be nice or patient. Now it’s time to get tough.
1. Exclude them from conversations
It’s easy to annoy a jealous person, especially in a group setting, just ignore them. Never make eye contact with them and use everyone’s names to create a rapport with the other members of the group. They’ll feel excluded and you’ll be more popular.
2. Publicly call them out on their behavior
If someone is being nasty to you because they’re jealous and you don’t like passive-aggressive behavior, call them out in front of people. Be direct. Ask them why they’re so obsessed with you. Don’t they have a life? Go on the attack. Assert your confidence and make it clear that you won’t tolerate any more nonsense.
3. Be friends with their friends
“Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.” – Gore Vidal
Making friends with their friends is doubly affective. First, they’ll hate the fact you’ve infiltrated their inner circle, and second, you can turn them against this person by telling them all the awful things they’ve said or done to you.
4. Use negative body language
You don’t have to be obvious to annoy a jealous person, you can be super subtle by using negative body language. Cross your arms across your chest when they speak to you. Position your feet or angle your body away from them. Don’t mirror them (this creates an affinity with the other person), instead, do the opposite of what they’re doing.
5. Do what they do, but better
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Are they a knockout at karaoke? Practice your best ‘I Will Survive’ and blow their socks off. Do they make the best Thanksgiving dinner? Brush up on your turkey and pumpkin pie cooking skills and put on a spread the founding fathers would drool over.
Are their New Year’s Eve parties the stuff of legends? Put on your own bash and invite some celebrities, provide quality fizz with tasty nibbles, and close the night with show-stopping fireworks.
6. Be the center of attention
“Nothing brings on jealousy like laughter.” – Françoise Sagan
Be the life and soul of the party and outshine your jealous rival. They’ll hate that. Jealous people want the object of their jealousy to fail or suffer. Seeing you at the center of an admiring audience will stick like a knife in their heart.
7. Exaggerate the things that make them jealous
Has the jealous person made snide remarks about your car, clothes, job, partner, house etc.? Then ramp up their jealousy.
You know what pushes their buttons so go full on and talk nonstop about the great deal you got on the car, how you found this designer purse online for peanuts, your promotion, decorating your house or the wonderful gifts your partner bought for you.
8. Show gratitude for the things you have
“No one can have all he wants, but a man can refrain from wanting what he has not, and cheerfully make the best of a bird in the hand.” – Seneca
What’s the opposite of a jealous person? A grateful one. Nothing annoys a jealous person more than a genuinely grateful person. Being thankful for the things you have and don’t covet the things you haven’t. It shows you’re humble and that you have a positive outlook on life.
9. One-up them all the time
Instead of placating a jealous person, why not one-up them in everything they do? Here are some examples.
They’ve booked a week’s holiday in Spain? You’re off to the Maldives for a month. Are they pleased with their pay rise? That’s nothing. Your bonus is paying off your mortgage. They just bought a new car; you’re getting the latest luxury 4×4, with plush interior complete with extras.
10. Ghost them
If you really want to know how to annoy a jealous person, just ghost them. Jealous people don’t help themselves because they have to find out what their obsession is doing.
Even though it makes them feel worse, they investigate the object of their jealousy by stalking them on social media, talking to their friends or work colleagues. Block them on social media and their imagination will go into overdrive. They’ll assume the worst (which is you doing well).
11. Don’t make excuses for your successes
“Nobody is ever jealous about the process, only the results.” – Regan Jacklin
Finally, my last how to annoy a jealous person tip is be upfront. Sometimes we play down our successes to make others feel better about themselves. But if this jealous person whines about all the things you’ve worked hard for but they’ve made no effort themselves, it’s time to shut them up.
For example:
Jealous person: “It must be nice having 3 cars, living in this area in a delightful house, going on a cruise, etc.”
You: “Yes, it is. I spent most of my adult life in education, had 3 jobs which paid off my student loans, and I worked my way up the ranks to a decent salary.”
Final Thoughts
Jealous people can ruin your reputation, turn friends and work colleagues against you and make your life miserable. It’s all very well understanding where jealousy comes from, but you can’t make their life better. It’s up to them.
If they continue being mean, then the only thing you can do is annoy them.
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Thank you Janey. Another good lesson.