Being around a negative person can cause you to feel depressed or sad as well. Research even confirms that negativity is contagious. 5 Communicating negativity in social interactions, even through facial expressions, can pass that negativity on to others. (The good news is: Positivity is contagious, too.)
Studies have shown that being around negative people can seriously damage our mental and physical health, making us more depressed and anxious, putting us at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, and harming our immune system.
Negative people's pessimistic outlook can drag down your mood making you feel sullen and cynical. “[A]llowing a negative person to dictate your emotions gives them too much power,” wrote psychotherapist Amy Morin. This means you're responsible for your mood and outlook—don't let anyone else sour it.
Pessimistic describes the state of mind of someone who always expects the worst. A pessimistic attitude isn't very hopeful, shows little optimism, and can be a downer for everyone else. To be pessimistic means you believe evil outweighs the good and that bad things are more likely to happen.
A toxic person is anyone whose behavior adds negativity and upset to your life. Many times, people who are toxic are dealing with their own stresses and traumas. To do this, they act in ways that don't present them in the best light and usually upset others along the way.
In brief, almost all negativity has its roots in one of three deep-seated fears: the fear of being disrespected by others, the fear of not being loved by others, and the fear that “bad things” are going to happen.
Truly toxic people have a way of making you feel drained and diminished. You have less physical and mental energy after spending time with them, not more. They also have a profound effect on your sense of self. They often leave you feeling low, demoralized, unconfident, unsteady, or unappreciated.
Don't give it! Instead, be direct and say something like, “I'm not OK just reassuring you over and over because it drains me and doesn't help you or you wouldn't keep asking.”
Family and Social Environment
For some people, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere can lead to depression. Other high-stress living situations — such as poverty, homelessness, or violence — can contribute, too.
Very often the anxiety we feel around other people is a reflection of the way we perceive ourselves. Projection is a common defence mechanism which causes us to take aspects of ourselves (which we find uncomfortable and unsettling) and ascribe them to other people.
People with toxic traits know they have them
It's natural to assume someone's bad behavior is a conscious choice. But many people with toxic traits don't realize that their behavior impacts others. You may have toxic traits that you don't know about. Some toxic traits, like absolutism, manifest subtly.
Spending time with negative people can be the fastest way to ruin a good mood. Their pessimistic outlooks and gloomy attitude can decrease our motivation and change the way we feel. But allowing a negative person to dictate your emotions gives them too much power in your life.
Toxic people are not just toxic towards others, their behavior is toxic for themselves as well and it soon catches up to them. And just like everyone, even toxic people and capable of change.
Negative people don't know that they are negative. They believe that they are completely rational, that they are realists.
People with paranoid personality disorder (PPD) are always on guard, believing that others are constantly trying to demean, harm or threaten them. These generally unfounded beliefs, as well as their habits of blame and distrust, interfere with their ability to form close or even workable relationships.
Rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences.
Toxic people have a way of making you feel guilty just for being you. One of the most common ways in which they do this is to poke holes in the way you are talking about something. Remember how they have an underlying tone when they ask you something?
Toxic relationships generally follow three stages: idealizing, devaluing, and discarding. Learn about each of these stages and the impact it has on you.
This doesn't mean you have to interact with them, but people aren't born “toxic” and generally get that way from observing such behavior in the home as a child or experiencing abuse. Setting healthy relationship boundaries with toxic people is essential, although it can be very challenging.
Just as we talked about earlier, a relationship can cause a spike in anxiety due to interpersonal fights. If you and your partner are fighting due to their uncompromising behavior, the consequences of their control can cause you stress.