People Who Are Never Happy No Matter How Great Things Get Say These 11 Phrases On A Daily Basis
The things perpetually unhappy people say and what they really mean underneath it all.
Dmytro Zinkevych | Shutterstock It’s no lie—the world is kind of scary right now, no matter who you are. Every day seems to bring about new problems. However, most people are still able to celebrate the highlights of their lives without any issue. Some folks, though, can’t.
We’ve all met that one person who was sad, grouchy, or irritable even when their lives are swell. It’s easy to see who they are, too. If you’ve ever heard these phrases, I’m fairly certain you’ve seen a hyper-grouch.
People who are never happy — no matter how great things get — say these 11 phrases on a daily basis:
1. 'I’m so tired'
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Let’s start off with a phrase that is sometimes warranted. If you notice how often you hear someone mention how tired they are, it could be an illness. Or, it could be a sign of depression.
Many people who are chronically unhappy are actually suffering from depression. Fatigue is a low-key symptom of clinical depression. So, if you hear this phrase often, cut them some slack.
2. 'I'll be happy when…'
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If you’re like me, you’ve probably asked these folks what it would take for them to be happy. They often will give a goalpost that is usually major, such as a wedding, a major job hire, or something similar.
The funny thing is that the item in question might not actually make them happy. If they get what they want, they often move the goalpost. Rather, it can frequently be an excuse to be upset or a way to opt out of really considering their own behavior.
3. 'I don't care'
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Not caring about certain things can be great. However, the chronically upset folks in life are not about using a lack of caring as a good thing. Rather, they use the phrase “I don’t care” as a barb for others’ joy.
You got a promotion? Oh, they’ll say they don’t care just to spite you. Why? Because misery loves company, and it will make them temporarily feel good. Believe it or not, there’s a little bit of evidence to back this up. Sometimes that attitude turns inward, too.
4. 'I've just been busy'
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One of the most difficult-to-understand behaviors that unhappy people exhibit is backing away when they’re seriously depressed. This often happens when they feel like they’re a burden, want people to chase them, or otherwise just lose their ability to handle having others around them.
While excusing yourself because you’re busy might seem fairly innocuous, it can also be a person’s way of self-isolating. And you guessed it: doctors actually look for this symptom when diagnosing depression.
5. 'Nothing ever works out for me'
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Unhappiness tends to be a self-advancing cycle. Negative thoughts lead to negative self-talk, which leads to more negative thoughts, more spiraling, more bad juju. People who are chronically unhappy with life often say their negative thoughts to others.
This phrase tends to be one of the most common self-fulfilling prophecies you’ll hear. The people who say this are always unhappy, and that tends to “jinx” their endeavors.
6. 'It's not my fault'
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Surprise! People who are constantly unhappy often don’t blame themselves for their issues. They tend to blame everyone around them instead, because blaming themselves means they’d have to take accountability for their actions.
Blame-shifting is a form of verbal abuse that burns bridges with well-meaning people and also alienates the person who does it. Unsurprisingly, this tends to mean that repeatedly doing this makes the person who does it even unhappier. After all, they just burned their bridges with someone.
7. 'Why can't I have what they have?'
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Most of us have heard the phrase, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” right? Well, this is the perfect example of why that is. Chronically unhappy people often compare themselves to others who are more successful and happier on paper.
It’s easy to feel like you’re not doing well if you’re constantly comparing yourself to people who have either gotten extremely lucky or worked extremely hard to get what they wanted. It’s easy to feel like you’re doing terribly when you don’t know what others did to get their moment in the sun.
8. 'I knew that would happen'
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Perennially unhappy people are the same ones who tend to have an overwhelmingly negative outlook on life. They don’t see a bright future for themselves or others, even when it is clear that they should have a glimmer of hope for the future.
If something bad happens to them or someone around them, they will often make a point of saying they called it. To them, having a negative viewpoint is the only way not to be disappointed.
9. 'It's not fair'
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If you want to see someone who is truly unhappy all the time, look for the person who keeps acting like life is meant to be fair. Or better yet, look for the person who thinks they’re entitled to certain things just because they’re there.
People who behave that way are quick to point out all the inequalities they see, justified or otherwise. And boy, do they like to mull on it.
To people like this, they’re the unwilling victims of the system, and everything that happened to them is a direct result of that victimization. Psychologists call this “Entitlement Mentality,” and it makes everyone around them miserable, including them.
10. 'Must be nice'
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There are few phrases that ooze resentment and envy like this one. It’s never said by someone happy with what they have in life. Rather, it’s uttered by people who tend to be incredibly resentful of the fact that they don’t have something they wanted.
People who feel excluded from life’s abundance are going to get angry about it. The same can be said of people who feel like they don’t get good things in life. With this phrase, that anger gets pretty noticeable.
11. 'That's just how I am'
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If you’ve met a lot of perennially grouchy people, you might notice that others actively call them out on their behavior. They rarely ever admit that they’re the problem, though. Rather, they may try to minimize it or just excuse it.
For example, a chronic complainer might say something like, “That’s just how I am, deal with it,” when told they’re bringing others down. Needless to say, if they’re perennially lonely, that could be them just being them. After all, they don’t want to change.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
