Emotionally distant people: their 5 typical characteristics

This style of relating to others can lead to isolation.

Personal relationships are not always easy to manage, but what is clear is that through them a part of our personality and way of being is expressed and built. Emotionally distant people are part of those who attract more attention when interacting with others, since their way of approaching human relationships usually stand out from the first minutes of conversation or nonverbal communication in general.

In this article we are going to see what are the characteristics of emotionally distant people, what is the logic behind their behavioral style, and what does this mean when assessing how they perceive the rest of the people around them.

Characteristics of emotionally distant people

The first thing to be clear about in order to understand this personality style is that being emotionally distant does not imply hating humanity, nor being unable, in any situation and context, to enjoy the company or even intimacy with someone.

Virtually all the differential traits and characteristics that we human beings present in our individuality exist not in hermetic categories and with very clear boundaries, but through a continuum of variations of intensity of variables present in all people. This means that all emotionally distant people have a portion of social and openness with others, and those who do not stand out for distancing themselves from the rest, also have a portion of emotional distancing with others, and those who do not stand out for distancing themselves from others, also have a portion of social and openness with others. have a portion of emotional distancing.

Thus, it is not correct to take definitions dogmatically and assume that whoever has become a person who excels in a certain characteristic will live anchored to that trait for life, without being able to make it stop defining him or her.

That said, and assuming that each case is unique and each person has unrepeatable qualities, let's see what they are and how they express themselves.

1. They tend to distrust

The fact that emotionally distant people distrust others with relative ease does not mean that they are hostile. On the contrary, most often they are correct when dealing with others, among other things because antagonisms make contact with the rest is maintained, to the extent that they create confrontations and desire for revenge.

Thus, emotionally distant people usually facilitate situations in which they do not have to rely on the goodwill of people they do not know well, usually by adopting passive attitudes.

2. They avoid physical contact

Compared to other people, emotionally distant people avoid physical contact. This is because touching is more than a physical act: it is an act of intimacy. And intimacy is seen as a way of exposing one's vulnerabilities.

For this reason, and partly to avoid setting a precedent, these people make it clear that such gestures are not appreciated unless they are made by someone very special or on their own initiative, although the latter is rare.

3. They see friendship as something formal

In friendship, emotionally distant people show little or no signs of affection, or do so less frequently than others. This means that in practice, they expect friendship to be a bond in which to explain things, spend leisure time and explain opinions, but they are prone to see certain actions as out of place. but it is noticeable that they are prone to see certain actions as out of place if they don't fit in with what is typically considered friendship.

4. In love, they find it hard to open up

Another consequence of this emotional distance is that they find it difficult to expose their most intimate side, since this implies showing weaknesses from which someone could hurt them emotionally, even without realizing it, by the simple fact of knowing them.

This is one of the aspects of their personality that can generate the most problems, given that love is by definition a bond based on mutual trust.. Fortunately, with time, they are usually able to make an exception with their partner and show themselves in a more open way.

5. They do not like to leave their social comfort zone.

Emotionally distant people are not very fond of communicating excessively with those whom they know little, unless doing so has some advantage from the instrumental point of view. Therefore, they usually have a small group of friends.