This is the Person Most Likely to Break Your Heart

Narcissist? Maybe — you decide. But here are seven red flags you shouldn’t ignore — even if this person is really, really hot.

Karen Nimmo
Published in
5 min readJul 25, 2024

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Image by fxquadro on Freepik

He’s cute — hot, confident — and so into you.

He wants to know everything about you; he wants to see you all the time: tonight, then Friday night — then the whole weekend. Casually, he starts talking long-term. Marriage. Kids.

You back up the truck, tell him you have plans with your girlfriends this weekend. He does that cute “little boy hurt” look and you give in. The girls will understand. You don’t want to — can’t afford to — mess this up.

But something niggles at you. You know you’re a good catch — but THIS GOOD? Is he for real? Is it too much, too soon? Should you be worried?

No — not yet! Lots of great relationships begin with a rush. And we shouldn’t be on a mission to spot red flags every time we date someone new. That strips all the fun out of it — and might make you a pretty dull date.

But, interestingly, a lot of people who end up with broken hearts say the warning signs appeared early in the relationship. They were just too star-struck (or hormone fuelled) to pay attention to them.

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Karen Nimmo

Clinical psychologist, author of 4 books. Editor of On the Couch: Practical psychology for health and happiness. karen@onthecouch.co.nz