Relationships can be beautiful and at the same time be ugly. Most of the time we don’t choose who we are attracted to or love, often times the people we may love may exhibit undesirable characteristics that may be toxic, but blinded by love we choose to ignore it. However, certain characteristics are more pronounced than others, this characteristic is sadism.

Sadism is defined as the tendency of deriving pleasure from the pain, suffering and humiliation of others. Suspect that you are dating a sadist? Here are most common out of the many signs that you can use to tell if you are dating a sadist.

• They make cruel and hurtful jokes towards you or others

You may know if your significant other is a sadist by the jokes he/she makes. They may make jokes insulting your looks, weight, how you dress, or even your height. These jokes may make you or others insecure about yourself and how you look and therefore make the sadist pleased.

• They utilize force and aggression to get what they want

If your partner is aggressive or violent, this may be a sign of sadism. This is due to the fact that sadists experience an adrenaline rush or pleasure controlling and domineering others. This is a recipe of a toxic relationship, and if you experience this you may be dating a sadist.

• They are narrow minded

Sadists cannot feel empathy, therefore cannot relate with the feelings of other people and the backgrounds they come from, thus their point of view are fixed. They may embarrass and humiliate people who may differ with them in point of view in opinion or lifestyle. Attempts to change their views are met with ridicule and insults.

• If a lot of people have warned you

It is hard for sadists to hide their cruel and manipulative tendencies. Most people close to you and your partner may have noticed or experienced cruelty from your partner, some may choose to warn you while others may let you realize that for yourself. If a lot of people have warned you then your suspicions may be true and your partner may be a sadist.

• They love trolling on the internet

Cyberspace is wide and full of a lot of people from different backgrounds and places, this is virgin territory that a sadist may wish to explore. They bully others over the internet through insults and threats. If you notice your significant other posting insulting messages online, posting on illegal message boards, or troll for no other reason other than to get reactions on social media, then you are dating a sadist.