3 signs you're less likeable than you think you are

Many people don't like to think of themselves as "one-uppers," although it's easy to spot when someone else is doing it, according to Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D., a professor emerita of management at California State University East Bay.

One-upping is a symptom of reverting back to the mammalian instincts in us, Breuning wrote in Psychology Today. When we encounter another person, we are inclined to compare ourselves to that person. The brain releases serotonin, which makes us feel good, when we are in the "one-up" position over someone else, because that promotes survival, she wrote.

If you feel tempted to tout your own accomplishments every time someone else mentions theirs, it could be making you less likeable.

People who exhibit arrogant behavior only care about themselves and show little concern for the wellbeing of others, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today. In addition, frustratingly, arrogance can put people ahead of their competitors in politics and business, leading them to success, she wrote.

Arrogant behavior can include taking credit for other people's work and achievements, overreacting to criticism, and belittling others, according to a study published in the journal Human Performance.

These traits may be easy to point out in the abstract, but in the moment, an arrogant person may be so used to acting that way that they don’t realize how they’re coming across.

“Evolutionary psychologists believe that one of the reasons humans came to dominate the planet is that we evolved to cooperate with each other, which means being able to trust other people,” Yeung said. “As such, certain habits that promote aggression, status, or dominance over other people tend to erode trust.”