7 Little Things That Can Tell You A Lot About Someone

Just have a look inside the person's car and see if it was clean, organized, and tidy, or if there were food wrappers and empty soda cans everywhere. 

In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell shared a study where the personality of 80 students was assessed by those students’ closest friends versus complete strangers who only spent 15 minutes visiting their bedrooms.

We all make mistakes. But when you address it in a respectful, kind, and fair way, how do they respond?

• Do they apologize and commit to avoiding it?
• Do they make excuses, get defensive, or go silent?
• Do they blame you, accuse you of making it a big deal, or go back in time and list your transgressions (that they never mentioned before and have been saving just for this occasion)?

On the other hand, if you make an honest mistake and apologize, how do they respond?

• Do they respect you and share how they feel? Do they take it in stride?
• Do they make things personal and say, “You always ____” or “You never _____?”
• Do they belittle you, hold a grudge, or insult your character, intelligence, etc.?

I’ve noticed some people have a “split personality.” For example, when some guys see women they’re attracted to, they suddenly act friendly and happy; once those women leave, they're back to their old selves. I knew guys like that and, if we went out on a Saturday night, their eyes would dart all over the room searching for women as they half-listened to their own friends.

The thing about people like this is they don't really have an established sense of self—who they are changes completely depending on who they talk to.

I once knew a guy who was obsessed with how he was portrayed on social media—his posts, profiles, and stories were designed to present him in the best light possible. Yet in reality, he was just a relatively average guy who was good at his job.

We eventually had a falling out, but looking back, this was one of the biggest warning signs. Because, like on social media, he was overly concerned with how people thought of him, he made his friendships calculated, and he chased validation and approval.