Everyone knows what it’s like to be around someone who just doesn’t make them feel great about themselves with their condescending tone of voice. There are all kinds of people who are unpleasant to be around-Debbie downers, complainers, jealous green monsters, mean-spirited snarks, and most anyone who wears neon sunglasses- but if you walk away from another person feeling worse about yourself, there’s a good chance you’ve been dealing with a condescending person. People have a patronizing attitude and exhibit condescending behavior for different reasons, but usually, it boils down to insecurity and/or arrogance. Yes, you can definitely be arrogant and insecure at the same time.
Here, we point out some behaviors people say that typically don’t land well and foster negativity. But it’s also important to keep in mind that studies suggest that 75 to 90 percent of communication is nonverbal. So when people feel like someone is talking down to them, it usually has as much to do with what they say as how they say it. Still, if you’ve been told you have a condescending streak, here are some eye-roll-worthy behaviors to discontinue.