How Mean Am I?

Take this quiz to see if you’re a real savage.

Sure, everyone’s a little unkind now and then—but have you ever wondered if you’re actually mean?

Give your honest answers to these quick questions, and we’ll tell you how mean you are compared to the average person.

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Questions Overview

1. Someone elbows you in a crowd. How do you react?
  1. I elbow everyone around me. Just to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
  2. I subtly step on their foot, just to teach them a lesson.
  3. I shrug it off. Accidents happen.
  4. I apologize for getting in their way.
2. You hear the customer behind you say they want the last croissant. What do you do?
  1. I buy it and eat it in front of them. You snooze, you lose.
  2. I buy it, but give them an apologetic look after.
  3. I choose something else. They can have it, it's no big deal.
  4. I buy it for them. Now we both feel good!
3. Someone you don't like overhears you inviting your friends to a party. What do you do?
  1. Talk louder about how much fun it'll be.
  2. Lower my voice, but keep talking about it.
  3. Change the subject so they don't hear.
  4. Invite them to come. Who knows? Could be fun.
4. How would you get a waiter's attention at a restaurant?
  1. Shout "Waiter!" until someone comes.
  2. Wave my hand in the air dramatically so they can’t miss me.
  3. Say "Excuse me," when one walks by the table to grab their attention.
  4. Wait patiently for someone to come to me when they’re free.
5. You just got news that your worst enemy broke their leg. How do you feel?
  1. I laugh out loud. Now that's something to celebrate!
  2. I feel neutral about it.
  3. I feel kinda bad for them. Not too bad, though.
  4. I feel terrible. Nobody deserves that.
6. Have you ever ghosted someone?
  1. I take every opportunity to tell people why I don’t like them. So no, I don’t ghost.
  2. Yeah, all the time. If someone’s vibe is weird, I’m out!
  3. Once or twice.
  4. Never. It’s rude!
7. Your friend asks you your opinion on their outfit. It's hideous. What do you say?
  1. that? Whatever, you do you."" data-image="">"You’re going out in that ? Whatever, you do you."
  2. "I’m gonna be real, you look terrible."
  3. "I like the concept, but let's workshop this."
  4. "You always look great, but I'm not sure about this one..."
8. Your friend tells you they're crushing on the same person you're crushing on. What do you do?
  1. Spill my friend's secret to the crush so they're turned off.
  2. Make my move. I love my friend but I called dibs.
  3. Step aside and let them have the crush. I can get over it.
  4. Set my friend up with the crush. I just want my pal to be happy!
9. Have you ever spread rumors about someone?
  1. Yeah, and I've started some of my own...
  2. Sure. Everyone does.
  3. Sometimes, but I'm not proud.
  4. Never. I don't talk unless I have the facts.
10. What do you do when you have a problem with someone?
  1. Turn all their friends against them.
  2. Tell them off to their face.
  3. Avoid them. We don't have to be friends.
  4. Try to talk it out and see if we can understand each other.
11. Someone disses you online. What do you do?
  1. Stalk all their accounts and send them hate messages until they deactivate.
  2. Diss 'em right back. Two can play that game.
  3. Block them and move on.
  4. Tell them to have a nice day. I mean it. I hope things get better for them.
12. Choose the sickest burn:
  1. Can you hold your breath? You're wasting all my air.
  2. I always wanted kids until I met you and saw how they could turn out.
  3. You'll never disappoint me because my standards for you are too low.
  4. I don't really like these.

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and<\/i> their future children. You take no prisoners, and you go right for the throat. Honestly, we're kinda stepping on eggshells here trying not to rub you the wrong way, because we don't want to catch those hands. Kidding! Sorta...

Actually, though, being mean is an art, and as long as you're using your powers for good\u2014putting *actually* mean-spirited people in their place, or defending yourself or the people you love\u2014then sometimes being mean is called for. It's all about taking a vibe check and asking yourself, \"Is this a situation where I need to bring out the claws, or are we just messing around?\" There's always a line, and you gotta be careful when and how you cross it.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Stop Being Mean to People","id":7363,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","relUrl":"\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Stop Being Mean to People"},{"title":"How to Deal with Mean People","id":4701351,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Mean-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg","alt":"How to Deal with Mean People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You're sorta mean.","meaning":"You're not a total \"goes for the throat\" kind of mean. You're more the kind of mean where the other person doesn't realize they just got burned until they're in the shower the next morning thinking about what went down. You're low-key mean, a master of the backhanded compliment. When you're mean, you're doing it because you want to check that person before they wreck themself, which, when you think about it, is actually a sort of charity. So you\u2019re not the kind of person who\u2019s mean for fun, you make sure it\u2019s always called for (which at the end of the day means, you\u2019re actually pretty nice).

For real, though, being mean is an art, and as long as you're using your powers for good\u2014putting *actually* mean-spirited people in their place, or defending yourself or the people you love\u2014then sometimes being mean is called for. It's all about taking a vibe check and asking yourself, \"Is this a situation where I need to bring out the claws, or are we just messing around?\" There's always a line, and you gotta be careful when and how you cross it.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Stop Being Mean to People","id":7363,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","relUrl":"\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Stop Being Mean to People"},{"title":"How to Deal with Mean People","id":4701351,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Mean-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg","alt":"How to Deal with Mean People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You're not mean at all!","meaning":"You're actually kind of an angel. Other people might try to push your buttons, but you rise above and kill 'em with kindness. When they go low, you go high. When they smack one cheek, you turn the other. In fact, you make them feel bad for even being mean in the first place, so much so that it eats them up inside for days, and honestly? That's truly dastardly of you, and does more damage than any cruel roast possibly could. Sometimes it pays to be an absolute saint. After all, karma's coming for all of us, and you'll be ready when she does.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Stop Being Mean to People","id":7363,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","relUrl":"\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Stop Being Mean to People"},{"title":"How to Deal with Mean People","id":4701351,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Mean-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg","alt":"How to Deal with Mean People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":4,"text":"You could be meaner, honestly.","meaning":"Can we level with you? We think you could stand to be a little meaner. A little more rude. Don't get us wrong, you're a total angel. It seems like everything you do comes from a place of pure kindness. But that means other people sometimes think they can walk all over you. You don't have to put on the boxing gloves and throw hands, but it's not \"being mean\" to defend yourself and fight back a little. Feel free to assert yourself! That said, if you wanna keep taking the high road, we respect that too. The world needs more nice people, and you're one of the nicest. For that, we thank you!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Stop Being Mean to People","id":7363,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","relUrl":"\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Being-Mean-to-People-Step-19-Version-4.jpg","alt":"How to Stop Being Mean to People"},{"title":"How to Deal with Mean People","id":4701351,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Mean-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Mean-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-with-Mean-People-Step-14.jpg","alt":"How to Deal with Mean People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Type of Person Am I Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Sweet or Salty Quiz","id":14534137,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Sweet-or-Salty-Test","relUrl":"\/Sweet-or-Salty-Test","image":"\"Sweet<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Sweet or Salty Quiz"},{"title":"Test My Ethics Quiz","id":14580399,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Test-My-Ethics","relUrl":"\/Test-My-Ethics","image":"\"Test<\/picture>","alt":"Test My Ethics Quiz"}],"number":1},{"text":"Patience","result":"Good answer! In that case, check out these cool quizzes:","next_quizzes":[{"title":"Am I Selfish Quiz","id":14653411,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Selfish","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Selfish","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Selfish Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Annoying Quiz","id":14324155,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Annoying","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Annoying","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Annoying Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Naive Quiz","id":14810623,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Naive","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Naive","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Naive Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>

How to Be Less Mean

We’ve all got a nasty side, that’s just part of being human. And while sometimes being a little mean is called for, it’s not so nice when you find yourself being mean by default. It’s not fun for the people around you, and it’s not fun for yourself, either. It happens to the best of us, but here’s how to ease up and lay off:

Put yourself in their shoes.
Sometimes, when someone’s being mean, they’re just having a bad day and blowing off steam. That doesn’t make it okay, but part of being a good person is having grace and patience for those people in those moments. Take a minute and try to imagine what sort of pressure they might be under. Maybe something’s going on at home, or they just lost something or someone, or they’re on a terrible string of bad luck. Even if it’s not true, it helps you empathize.

Force yourself to think of a compliment.
You don’t actually have to give the person the compliment, but it’s hard to think mean thoughts about someone when you’re already thinking nice thoughts. Their hair looks nice, they have a nice smile, they’re handling a lot of pressure, their outfit is cool, that comeback was super clever. Whatever it is, think it, then put it in your pocket and walk away.

Think happy thoughts.
It’s easy for mean thoughts to slip out when your brain is overflowing with them. It’s like trying to stop a pot from boiling over without actually taking it off the stove. Practice thinking good thoughts. They can be about anything: imagine a warm spring breeze, remember something nice a friend did for you, look forward to that delicious meal you’re having tonight. Pleasantness starts from within.

Shrug it off. When you’re unbothered and in your own lane, being mean doesn’t even occur to you. We know, we know, easier said than done, but sometimes the most satisfying thing you can do, and the most devastating, is walk away. Don’t give them the pleasure of picking on you. Show them that they’re beneath you, and not worth your time. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of hassle.

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