Why do people Show off

Most of us don’t like showy people because we assume that they are arrogant and because they sometimes remind us of our low achievements.

From the outside showy people appear to be happy, possessing many things that others really want and sometimes superior, But what most people don’t know is that the inside is very much different.

In this article I will take you inside the mind of the showy person, let you understand how he thinks and show you the truth behind showing off. If you want to know why do people show off then read this article.

Showing off is equal to did you notice me?

Some small kids try to do really distracting movements when their parents don’t give them much attention. The child might get involved into actions that appear to be weird and very risky in order to get the parent’s attention.

But why would a child strive for attention? Because he believes that he is not getting enough of it.

If you met the CEO of a large well known corporation he is very less likely to tell you that he earns a lot of money or that he lives in a large house simply because the man knows that you have already guessed that.

If the man became unsure of the impression you formed of him he might then start to show off to improve that image if he cares about your opinion.

Try to put a confident person down or to prove to him that he is worthless and he will reply back by showing off all of his Good qualities and achievements.

In short, the following is the truth about showy people:

• The feel they aren’t noticed or recognized: Showy people believe that they didn’t get the attention they deserve and so they show off to send one clear message
  "I am here, please notice me". So actually a showy person is begging you to notice him while you might be begging him to accept you!!
• They care about people’s opinion: To some people the opinion of others doesn’t matter that much and doesn’t have a significant impact on their happiness. To showy people it’s the opposite, the opinion of others is the most important thing and if they failed to let others like them they might feel really bad
• Some of them believe that people are underestimating them: because of believing that people are underestimating them showy people do their best to show off their best traits to prove that they are worthy!!

Is showing off bad?

Depending the type of showing off you are going to use. All of the previous lines were talking about the unconscious showing off where the person feels an intense desire to let people notice him and this is the bad type.

On the other hand is the knowledge driven showing off which is the type i always use. As a psychologist I understand the impact of showing certain things to people on the way they perceive you, for example when I say that 2knowmyself gets more than 450,000 visits each month I know that this will bring me more visitors because people will believe in the site. (see Social proof theory)

If you show off because you want to get a certain benefit in exchange then there is no problem as long as you are doing this consciously.

How to deal with show offs

Contrary to common beliefs Show offs are the ones who are in need of your attention.

In the Solid Self confidence program I explained that the guy who drives this 1 million dollar car and who looks at the people in the streets hoping that they look back is weaker than them because while he needs their attention they need nothing from him.

If the showy person matters to you then give him attention and he will like you and if he doesn’t matter to you then simply ignore him.

The book The ultimate guide to getting over depression was released by 2knowmself, the book provides a 100% guarantee for feeling better else you will be refunded. 2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.

Want to know more?

Why are some people arrogant?

How to understand people better

Dealing with difficult people