Credits: Social Media
‘Players’ use mutual friends as a technique of rejection, warns psychologist
Players, who are too good at their game, are notorious for using questionable tactics to get your attention. A psychologist outlines two such red flags you should never overlook.
Most of the time, our liking for “bad boys” stems from our issues. If you find yourself attracted to emotionally unavailable daters, perhaps it’s time you looked within. A psychologist told The Focus that women with “Daddy Issues” suffer from low self-esteem and attract men who don’t treat them well. But being aware of certain tell-tales of toxic daters can save you a lot of trouble.
Psychologist warns of two toxic traits of manipulators
As if dating wasn’t hard enough, people with little experience must be extra cautious about who they strike a connection with.
Missing tell-tale signs of a toxic relationship can take a huge toll on your mental health. If you aren’t aware of whether you’re being played, pay attention to certified psychologist Francesca’s advice.
It’s a rollercoaster ride
Bad daters are infamous for blowing hot and cold. The psychologist calls it a “rollercoaster” of emotions, to make you “obsessed with them.”
One day, they are showering you with compliments and treat you like their main person. The next, you’re being ignored or your message is left on read.
However, a player knows how to keep you hooked to the love bombing phase as they dazzle you with words and sweet gestures, only to pull away at once.
Francesca says the dopamine rush from the good times will leave you craving more when the players suddenly disappear, and the latter knows any little dose of it is enough to get your attention again.
Don’t fall for harmless rejection
Teasing the possibility of a happy future together before rejecting you over reasons beyond your control is the other manipulative technique people use to get someone to think about them more.
However, the genuine reason behind the rejection could be their own shortcoming or something that can’t be disclosed, such as them being married and having a non-committal relationship on the side.
If you’re stuck up on a dater who can’t be with you “because of mutual friends” or because the “time isn’t right”, move on and find someone ready to invest themselves fully in the relationship.
Francesca Tighinean is a certified psychologist, podcaster, and life coach, known for her content psychology and mental health on social media. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Masters in NLP (Natural Language Processing).
