Living in society implies being constantly pressured by a series of rules, both written and unwritten, which in theory help us to live together without major friction between us. We are all affected by them, but not all of us have the same tendency to accept them and to make our actions fit with them.

What we usually know as cynical people is an example of this . These are individuals who are characterized, among other things, by not having any qualms about showing in a fairly open way that they don’t conform to the rules that are important to most people. They are often accused of acting brazenly, and this means that in an instant they can become the enemy of many.

Although cynicism is a learned pattern of behavior , it is usually expressed quite consistently over time, unless particular life experiences or a person’s simple maturation changes that. Next we will see which are the typical characteristics that define it.

Characteristics of cynical people

These are the characteristics that show a tendency to cynicism in a person. They are not ordered according to a particular criterion, nor should they all necessarily occur at once.
On the other hand, keep in mind that in everything there are different levels of intensity, and it is very difficult to find people who carry all these characteristics to the purest extreme of what cynicism is.

1. Tendency to use basic fallacies

Cynical people have no qualms about using traps in their argumentation , as they sometimes try to persuade others by taking advantage of our propensity to think through cognitive shortcuts, even if this means reaching a false conclusion.

Therefore, they make fallacious comparisons, criticize the person instead of the argument, appeal to the opinion of a supposed authority on the subject without showing why he is right, etc.
Normally, the fact that many fallacies can appear in the same discussion makes many of them detected as such immediately, but cynical people usually do not care about this.

2. Tendency to self-centeredness

Another of the most important characteristics of cynical people is that they live almost totally oriented towards themselves, and therefore they do not feel particularly bad about thinking that others may have a bad opinion of them . Furthermore, another consequence of this self-centeredness is that situations easily arise in which they harm someone voluntarily or involuntarily, in order to achieve something that only they will enjoy.

3. Ease of pretending

Cynical people are not simply individuals who do not conform to social conventions; nor do they conform to a morality in which honesty has value . Therefore, they have no trouble pretending to care about others and, when it interests them, to totally break that illusion in order to act as they really feel and think, practically without any shame.

4. Pessimistic view of society

Normally, cynical people do not expect much from society as a whole. In any case, they can see it as a sum of individuals who agree not to harm each other for a while, just so they don’t get hurt. This is an individualistic way of conceiving social relations .

5. They are suspicious

Having a rather negative view of life, cynical people are not driven to gain the sympathy of others except for specific reasons related to specific advantages.

6. They can say what they think, without shame

On many occasions they do not do so in response to a practical purpose, but where doing so has no clear negative consequences, cynical people can be very transparent, which means that if they do not say something that would be relevant in a conversation, it is easier not to be afraid of what they will say or out of embarrassment , elements that are rather irrational. This can be good or bad, depending on the case and the sensitivity of the listener or reader.

7. They lie easily

Since there is no moral “cap” for it, lying is considered just another tool in a world where everyone is looking out for their own. Consequently, cynical people are more likely to lie to achieve their goals.