If You Can Tell Someone Has Bad Vibes Before Everyone Else, You Probably Have These 11 Rare Gifts
Look Studio | Shutterstock We’re often unknowingly surrounded by people with draining energy and bad vibes. While it might feel easier and more comfortable to actively avoid addressing someone’s bad energy and negativity, the truth is that these feelings are often contagious. The more time you spend around someone with negative vibes and bad intentions, the more likely you are to internalize that energy at the expense of well-being and connection.
Of course, the first step in protecting yourself is noticing this behavior. Not only does it take a lot of personal self-assuredness to notice red flags, but it also requires social awareness and an element of intuition. If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have certain rare gifts, and you can use them to your advantage in any situation.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have these 11 rare gifts
1. You have a strong trust in your body
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Our mind-body connection is already rooted and wired into our brains, yet many people still struggle to trust their gut instincts and listen to the messages their body sends in periods of stress and discomfort. It’s truly a superpower, especially in our culture that promotes “hustling” and “grinding” through pain, to lean into slowness and build trust with the things your body already knows on a deep level.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have the rare gift of self-trust in your body. You not only follow gut instincts and make space for them when they arise, but you can also notice feeling drained or internalizing negativity around certain people.
2. You’re naturally intuitive
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Intuition is the part of our mind that allows us to perceive and make decisions based on feelings and energy, rather than logic and fact. While everyone is naturally wired to build and cultivate a strong sense of intuition, only a select few rare people have cultivated it into their adult lives. In our culture, which urges us to unlearn that natural power and instead focus only on facts and productivity, it’s a true gift.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, chances are you have this rare gift. You not only sense people’s energy, but you also acknowledge the signs and messages your intuition and gut instincts send about them.
3. You can easily read the room
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Social awareness often manifests itself in nuanced ways, but for the most part, it’s the ability to read a room, understand other people’s perspectives, and empathize with people you don’t always agree with. People with a high level of social awareness may seem intuitive, but they’re truthfully just observant. They notice things, from body language to facial expressions, that other people tend to miss.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have these rare gifts. You’re attuned to other people’s actions and words, but you’re also aware of all the small things that are overlooked, like their energy and the intentions behind their passing phrases.
4. You see through social performances
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While the majority of people lean on trends and wear a “mask” in social situations to control how they’re perceived, a truly intuitive person can see right through all of it. They’re often showing up as their most intentional selves, so they see right through social performance, down to the true intentions and struggles of the people around them.
They notice inauthenticity, often manifested through fake positivity and condescending language, immediately.
5. You’re self-aware
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Many people who are naturally self-aware don't just notice how they're feeling in certain situations and around certain people. They also trust and honor those feelings with acceptance, as a study from Europe's Journal of Psychology explains.
They can acknowledge when someone's draining their energy or sabotaging their peace, which prompts them to focus on the behaviors, phrases, and actions prompting those experiences. They notice small details and subtle red flags in someone's behavior, because they acknowledge how they're affecting them personally, in the moment.
6. You notice subtle facial expressions
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We can often read small facial expressions when we first meet people, but it takes a certain level of self-awareness and social presence. People who can read someone’s vibes are intuitive and observant enough to notice these subtle expressions. They see the nuanced expressions and understand how to decode them, even if it’s easily overlooked by the average person.
When laughter feels disingenuous, when someone avoids eye contact, or when a twinge of annoyance passes across their face, these are all the small things that an intuitive person notices. Even things like smiling and laughing, which are typically used to cultivate charisma, are noticeably disingenuous.
7. You’re naturally observant
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Are you hardly ever surprised when someone’s energy or intentions are revealed at a later date? When people are surprised that a person they called a “good friend” is actually a relatively bad, evil person on the inside? Chances are, you just have the gift of observation. You notice things and keeps score of patterns of behavior that the average person misses.
Even if you don’t voice your concerns, they still live inside of you. You notice things that other people may miss. It’s one of the admirable traits of being the “quiet person” in the room. You have the space and attention to notice and acknowledge when someone’s energy is just not right.
8. You notice patterns
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People who notice patterns of behavior and can piece together someone’s energy in the moment with their experiences in the past often notice when someone has bad vibes before everyone else.
They can connect the dots and string together the nuanced body language, phrases, and feelings that paint a picture of someone in their mind.
9. You’re open-minded
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According to a study from the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, openness is often a more important personality trait for success than intelligence. People who are open-minded are inherently set up for success because they’re also observant, empathetic, and emotionally intelligent enough to handle the discomfort of novelty.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have these rare gifts. Being open allows you to connect with and see people, rather than trying to avoid or hide from insecurity or conflict. You lean into the conversations and interactions that reveal who people truly are, and you believe them when they show themselves.
10. You’re self-assured
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Self-assured people aren’t worried about wearing a mask to be liked or avoiding discomfort to protect social conversations from feeling “awkward.” They show up as your authentic self, so they’re not distracted by pleas for internal validation or attention that encourage most people to overlook signs of someone else’s bad energy.
If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have these rare gifts. Even if your quiet confidence feels common, it’s a superpower.
11. You’re comfortable with pressure and stress
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People who are comfortable with discomfort, and know how to deal with pressure and stress, are often more observant and productive in these kinds of conversations. They can read through people and notice small details that others overlook while trying to cope with their emotional turmoil.
Not only does embracing discomfort tend to enhance our innovative thinking, but it also allows us to be present even when things feel tense or highly emotional. If you can tell someone has bad vibes before everyone else, you probably have these rare gifts, because you’re present and you know how to cope with tension.
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.
