People Who Work Hard For Their Money Are Instantly Annoyed By These 11 Things
They take a lot of pride in their work ethic.
Ekateryna Zubal | Shutterstock People who work harder for their money are less likely to spend it or take risks, according to a study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology. They take a lot of pride in their work and find comfort in financial security without distractions, but people who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by certain things.
Whether it’s wastefulness or stereotypes about their commitment to working hard for money, they’re often living from a place of frustration with others who don’t share their same money mindset. While everyone has their own relationship with finances, the way you work for and bring in an income can make a big difference for how you spend it and view money, in general.
People who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by these 11 things
1. Chronic complaining without action
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Complaining often rewires the brain toward a more negative baseline, and when other people are around, that negativity can be contagious. So, it’s no surprise that a person who works hard for their money doesn’t want to be internally sabotaged by another person’s negativity, fear, or limiting beliefs.
Especially considering these people know what it’s like to be truly uncomfortable, working hard for money, and never having things happen out of sheer luck, it’s annoying to be around a complainer who both refuses to take action, but also gets attention for being negative.
2. People who only put in half of their effort
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While putting in too much effort and overworking yourself can be detrimental to personal health and well-being, people who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by someone who regularly puts in only half of their effort.
They’re always making excuses, blaming other people for their problems, and disguising their procrastination with phrases like “I work better under pressure,” oftentimes at the expense of all co-workers, peers, and partners around them.
3. Wasteful spenders
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Especially if they inherited their money or are clearly spending on someone else’s dime, wasteful spending without purpose or intention is one of the things that people who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by.
Even if they’re in a comfortable position financially already, sometimes the mere act of watching someone waste their own can be disorienting and frustrating.
4. Bragging about money
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According to a study from the University of Arizona, bragging about money or the things you do best could actually make people trust you less.
Not only does it annoy people on a surface level, especially people who work hard for their money and have a lot of internal pride over their work ethic, but it also promotes an aura of overconfidence that makes people believe you’re less competent.
If you’re bragging about something, chances are you’re not actually as secure and skilled as you’re trying to promote to other people.
5. Status symbols with no real purpose
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Whether it’s an overly expensive restaurant with poor service or a designer item that doesn’t actually boast quality or longevity, people who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by status symbols with no real purpose.
Of course, they’re willing to invest in things that actually pay off or have a certain level of quality that makes them worth the investment, but when it comes to buying status symbols just for prestige and attention, they’re annoyed and turned off.
6. Friends who always 'forget' their wallet
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Hunting down lingering Venmo requests and paying for people who don’t plan are things that instantly annoy someone who works hard for their money.
Of course, they’re not opposed to being generous and offering gifts to people in their lives, often at the benefit of their own wallet and self-esteem, but when they’re forced to for people who don’t plan or appreciate it, it’s annoying.
It’s the assumption that someone else will take care of them that’s annoying for people who work hard. They’re always giving and providing for other people, without having that same kind of generosity or gratitude offered back to them in return.
7. Overpriced items and experiences
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Like a quality status symbol, people who work hard for their money aren’t always extremely cheap, to the point where they’re not willing to buy anything. They’re likely to invest in things that will stand the test of time or actually serve a practical purpose in their lives, but when it comes to flimsy, overpriced, and wasteful things, they refuse to spend their money on them.
Whether it’s an overpriced produce item at the grocery store or a vacation where they’re actually losing money for no real experience, people who work hard for their money are instantly annoyed by being pressured into spending on these things.
8. Financial advice from people who have never struggled
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While the mental health toll of poverty and the internalized shame that comes from experiencing it often linger in people, even after they’ve become financially stable, their mindset often shifts for the better, as well.
They have the perspective of struggle in the back of their mind, protecting themselves from being overly wasteful or spending too much on things they don’t need. That’s why being given financial advice from someone who’s never had to struggle to work for anything themselves is disorienting and frustrating.
People who have had to work hard for their money know how to protect themselves, and the last thing they need is a privileged, out-of-touch person convincing them otherwise.
9. Lazy people taking advantage
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When lazy people ride on the coattails of their hard work or lean on them to pick up their own slack, that’s instantly annoying for someone who works hard for their money.
It may end up being true self-sabotage for the lazy person doing it, but for the hard worker, there’s no getting around the feelings of annoyance that come from being taken advantage of, even on a subconscious level.
10. Being judged for frugality
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Frugality is a mindset and a lifestyle, not necessarily a tool to gain wealth or bolster a savings account. It’s a way of living that’s integrated with a person’s actions, routines, and personality, at least according to a study from Frontiers in Psychology, so it’s not surprising that hard workers are often defensive of these behaviors when they’re being judged.
Often coming from a place of personal insecurity, people who judge frugality may simply envy the sustainability and security of their frugal counterparts. So, it’s not necessarily coming from a place of greed or even peer pressure, but of internal fears and anxieties.
11. Feeling pressured to justify their success
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Especially in the current economic climate, where having money is often associated innately with privilege and ignorance, it’s not surprising that people who work hard for their money often feel pressured to justify their success.
They are qually annoyed by the ignorance of the privileged rich, who cling onto justifications for their own “hard work” and object to any kind of easy access, but they’re also looped into these groups unknowingly.
Especially if they’re still stuck in a “survival mode” in any room, this over-explaining tendency and pressure to justify themselves can quickly become an emotional and social drain.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
