From self-doubt to confusion, expert explains the number 1 sign you're being manipulated in a relationship

If you constantly feel guilty after every conversation, it could be the number one sign you're being manipulated.

Manipulation often appears in everyday conversations, leading you to question your own thoughts and feelings.

Dr Leanne ten Brike, PhD, and researcher on dark personalities, highlights that the number one sign is a change in personality when someone wants something from you.

Mel Robbins, in an Instagram post dated July 21, 2026, advises paying attention to how a person treats others, especially those with less power, like waitstaff or drivers.

If someone is consistently kind to you but consistently cruel to everyone else, that is a key red flag.