Everyone has jealous friends at some point in their life, but most people have no idea how to tell if their friends are actually jealous of them or not. Jealousy can be a tricky thing to understand, especially because it has so many manifestations and triggers. In order to help you better recognize jealousy and deal with it appropriately, we’ve compiled this list of the top 18 signs your friends might be jealous of you. If you think any of these signs apply to your friends, keep reading; there’s something you can do about it!

1) They aren’t honest with you

Jealousy is often caused by insecurity—and no one likes feeling insecure. So don’t be surprised if some friends hide how they really feel, or are reluctant to give you honest feedback. It’s not that they don’t want to see you succeed; it’s just that they worry you might beat them to it! If a friend isn’t being straight with you, try asking specific questions about your friendship (instead of broad ones like How do you think we’re doing?). For example: When was the last time we hung out and didn’t talk about work? Was there anything I did that made it hard for us to connect? How can I make our relationship stronger? What can I do differently?

2) They don’t invite you to events they plan

If you’re always on their guest list, you probably won’t be invited to things they plan. It means that they don’t want you hanging around. They avoid eye contact with you: If your friends can’t meet your gaze when talking to you, it might be because they’re embarrassed about something or are hiding something from you. Don’t take it personally—it could just mean that they have a lot going on in their lives and feel guilty for not being able to spend time with you as much as before. They aren’t nice to your family and friends: The way people treat others says a lot about them. When someone is rude and dismissive toward those closest to you, chances are good he feels that way about you too.

3) They steal from you

There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve become a target for people to take advantage of. If your friends steal from you more and more frequently, it might be because they’re jealous and resentful that you have more resources than they do. It can also be due to their desire for something specific; if your friend feels pressure to live up to your lifestyle, she may resort to stealing things from you in order to keep up. This is especially true if her own parents are wealthy or successful, as she may feel compelled to emulate them by living beyond her means. This is a form of keeping up with the Joneses taken to an extreme level.

4) They talk negatively about how much time you spend away from them

If you’re always doing something new with your friends, it can be tempting to stick to those same people all of the time. The truth is that if your friends are talking negatively about how much time you spend away from them, it could mean they’re jealous. Spending time with different groups allows you to get a broad understanding of what life has to offer, and where your interests lie. And in turn, it gives you more things to talk about when you do see each other. It’s healthy for friendships to grow as we change over time; don’t feel guilty for growing apart from certain people.

5) You see them spreading rumors about other people

No one likes to think they’re being talked about behind their back, but if you notice that your friends are gossiping with each other and spreading rumors about people outside of your group, it might be because they’re jealous. At least, that would be my guess. Insecure people often talk bad about others because they feel threatened by them in some way; they don’t want others to see how miserable their life is or how lame their accomplishments are. By putting others down, they can make themselves look better by comparison. So if you notice that your friends have started talking smack about someone else a lot more frequently than usual, it could be a sign of jealousy. It doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to what they’re saying—it just means they’re probably feeling insecure and looking for ways to make themselves look better.

6) They tell stories about their own life but avoid talking about yours

If they’re only interested in your life when they want to tell you about theirs, it might be a sign that they’re insecure. If they avoid talking about themselves and jump right into hearing about you, it could be a defensive tactic used to redirect attention away from themselves. The way someone deals with conversation can say a lot about how self-confident or insecure she is. They don’t invite you places: Maybe your friends are afraid that if you come along, they won’t have fun without you around. Or maybe they just don’t like spending time with you because their own lives are less exciting than yours.

7) They act nasty towards others if there is something bad happening in their own lives

It’s hard not to be happy for your friends when things are going their way. But if you catch them being nasty towards people in general – especially when something negative happens in their own lives – they might just be envious that they can’t act that way. It could also mean they feel unhappy with where they are in life, so lash out at others so it doesn’t seem like it’s as bad for them. They criticize everything: Just because someone is jealous of you doesn’t mean they have to make sure everyone knows about it. If your friends always find a reason to point out what’s wrong with you or what isn’t working in your life, chances are good that they wish things were different for them and want you to know how much better off they think they would be if their situations were reversed. This type of jealousy often comes from a place of insecurity and low self-esteem.

8) Whenever someone compliments you, they make sure everyone knows about it

If you’re regularly on receiving end of public displays of admiration from your friends, chances are that they might be a bit jealous. After all, not everyone can say their friends constantly praise them and celebrate their successes. Your friends may secretly wish they could bask in some positive attention once in a while too. Show them you appreciate their support by letting them know how much you love it when they speak positively about you to others! Tell them how much you enjoy hearing about their successes, and maybe even offer to do something nice for them in return. As long as there’s no hint of hypocrisy or ulterior motive involved, payback is a great way to boost friendship bonds. Just remember that compliments should flow both ways—don’t forget to shower your friends with kind words when