Relationships are never easy. Finding a person you can fully trust and rely on requires a lot of emotional strength and might cost you your nervous system. The world is full of folks with their own quirks, and not everyone tends to show all their toxic character traits in those honeymoon stages when everything is so easygoing and lovey-dovey.
There is an infamous phenomenon called "nice guy syndrome": men that frequently complain about being unlucky in love, despite their allegedly charming persona who, in fact, turn out to be significantly dreadful human beings. They are usually unbearably clingy and manipulative with their partners – when not in a relationship, they constantly get friend-zoned and love to blame the rejection on women worshipping bad guys only.
This user took it to one of Reddit's communities and asked fellow female readers to share their stories about dating those self-proclaimed "nice guys". The post received over 20K upvotes and 9.3K worth of spine-chilling and rarely happy stories.
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#1

Met a nice guy on tinder. He was really awkward with few social skills, but he had a really cute dog so I figured why not.
The entire first two months of the relationship I was terrified thinking I was being gas-lit because he was just so nice. I had a history of abusive relationships.
Two years later we are engaged, just closed on 8.5 acres of land, and discovered we are pregnant last night. He's still really awkward and his dog is still really cute.
The entire first two months of the relationship I was terrified thinking I was being gas-lit because he was just so nice. I had a history of abusive relationships.
Two years later we are engaged, just closed on 8.5 acres of land, and discovered we are pregnant last night. He's still really awkward and his dog is still really cute.
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565points
#2

Went to high school together, he was 15, I was 16. I cried on his shoulder when another guy turned me down.
Been together since high school, four adult children and four grandchildren.
We have had the best life I could ever have imagined.
Been together since high school, four adult children and four grandchildren.
We have had the best life I could ever have imagined.
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356points
#3

Basically kidnapped and kept in a basement for 24 hours. Repeatedly assaulted. Told me he'd had a vision that I was supposed to be ONE of his wives and if I didn't marry him he'd just tell everyone I seduced him and was lying about it. I let him think we were "engaged" until my out of state school transfer was accepted, then I bought a plane ticket and disappeared.
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313points
#4

Self-proclaimed "nice guys" almost never are. If you're really a nice person, you don't need to advertise.
Then there are nice guys who really are nice but in an overbearing way. No girl worth being with for the long term wants to be worshipped.
I did end up marrying a truly nice guy. He made me laugh. He had his own life and didn't expect me to be his whole world, or for me to change my life for him. He didn't play games. He listened to what I had to say and didn't come to me with a lot of assumptions about who I was supposed to be. He looks out for me but knows I can look out for myself just fine. He's kind and I have never met a person who didn't like him. He doesn't advertise his "niceness" because there's no need. It would make as much sense as sunshine advertising itself.
Then there are nice guys who really are nice but in an overbearing way. No girl worth being with for the long term wants to be worshipped.
I did end up marrying a truly nice guy. He made me laugh. He had his own life and didn't expect me to be his whole world, or for me to change my life for him. He didn't play games. He listened to what I had to say and didn't come to me with a lot of assumptions about who I was supposed to be. He looks out for me but knows I can look out for myself just fine. He's kind and I have never met a person who didn't like him. He doesn't advertise his "niceness" because there's no need. It would make as much sense as sunshine advertising itself.
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312points
#5

Firstly a genuine 'nice guy' is different than a guy who walks around feeling entitled to women's attention.
I met a genuinely nice guy 13 years ago when we were both in the same post-secondary course. He liked cats, board games, loves his family, wanted kids one day, liked to cook etc etc. Found out later he was often friend-zoned by women he had an interest in (and was ok with that), in fact, he expected that we would always only be friends. We have been together for all 13 of those years, married for 7 and have a kid and four cats. We are both each other's best friends.
I met a genuinely nice guy 13 years ago when we were both in the same post-secondary course. He liked cats, board games, loves his family, wanted kids one day, liked to cook etc etc. Found out later he was often friend-zoned by women he had an interest in (and was ok with that), in fact, he expected that we would always only be friends. We have been together for all 13 of those years, married for 7 and have a kid and four cats. We are both each other's best friends.
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303points
#6

So bad. I was stupid and 17, he was 29. he tried to convert me to his religion and planned to propose when I turned 18. I thought I was an adult and could make my own choices, and upon reflection, I see that it was grooming. Now that I’m close to his age… can’t imagine trying to date a 17-year-old.
285points
#7

He was nice for a few months. Then came the mental and emotional manipulation—gaslighting, threatening to hurt/kill himself over the most inconsequential things (like not being able to hang out or talk on the phone). Then came the physical abuse; among other things, he ended up trying to kill me twice. I didn’t leave because I was afraid he would kill me or my family, since at that point I had been with him for 2 years. My depression and sense of hopelessness became so strong that I felt the only way out was death, and I started acting out with the hope that he would kill one of us. Finally, in a bout of extreme confidence brought on by alcohol, I dumped him over text and told him to never speak to me or my family again, and that I had reported him to the police and that they were watching my family for safety (not true, but god I regret not reporting him when I should have).
7 years down the road and I still have intense ptsd that impacts all of my relationships. But, I am better than I was, and that’s okay with me, because in time I will be better than I am now.
7 years down the road and I still have intense ptsd that impacts all of my relationships. But, I am better than I was, and that’s okay with me, because in time I will be better than I am now.
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258points
#8

The “nice” guy tried moving into my dorm room after 4 days. I noped the f**k out of that relationship.
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243points
#9

A day or two in, he started talking about how I was going to marry him, be a stay at home mom, have as many kids as I could physically produce, and how isolated I would be.
He never asked my opinions, that's directly against my life plan and always has been, and was determined to go through with it with only details being my choice. Thankfully got out unscathed.
He never asked my opinions, that's directly against my life plan and always has been, and was determined to go through with it with only details being my choice. Thankfully got out unscathed.
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228points
#10

Terribly. The first (and last) time I slept at his house, I wasn't ready to have sex with him and he got upset and shouted, "You'll sleep with everyone except me!"
Like, what the actually f***?! Portraying me as a whore because I wouldn't sleep with him is some real messed up s***. Was really shocking as we had been friends for years.
In my experience, no guy who ever called himself a 'nice guy' was actually a nice guy.
Like, what the actually f***?! Portraying me as a whore because I wouldn't sleep with him is some real messed up s***. Was really shocking as we had been friends for years.
In my experience, no guy who ever called himself a 'nice guy' was actually a nice guy.
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224points
#11

We went to Starbucks one time and chatted, and in his head, that meant I was his possession, and he had the right to stalk me for a year.
217points
#12

Oh boy:
He was emotionally unavailable.
Literally valued material objects over human life to an extreme.
Openly told me he loved his car more than me.
He hated animals.
He hit my sister for using “his” toothpaste.
And that was the end of that.
He was emotionally unavailable.
Literally valued material objects over human life to an extreme.
Openly told me he loved his car more than me.
He hated animals.
He hit my sister for using “his” toothpaste.
And that was the end of that.
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204points
#13

So far, so good.
Fourteen years ago, my best friend gave her twin brother my number. I had just gotten out of a 4 year long abusive relationship, and wasn't looking for anything serious. Twin brother and I went on a date and have been inseparable ever since.
We've been married for 13 years and have 3 kids, a dog, and a nice house. He's an amazing man, husband, father. I'm so thankful he gave ME a chance!
Fourteen years ago, my best friend gave her twin brother my number. I had just gotten out of a 4 year long abusive relationship, and wasn't looking for anything serious. Twin brother and I went on a date and have been inseparable ever since.
We've been married for 13 years and have 3 kids, a dog, and a nice house. He's an amazing man, husband, father. I'm so thankful he gave ME a chance!
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199points
#15

I dated a 'nice guy' who had pestered me into a relationship, even though I wasn't ready to be in one. On top of that, I was really young and a people pleaser, so I always wanted his approval. Any time I was excited about something, he'd spin it around to make my accomplishments less exciting. For example, I'd placed first in a provincial competition of sorts and he replied with "So? My friend placed first in the COUNTRY and he could have gone all over the WORLD!" He could also find a reason to argue about anything. He could be venting about his day, I'd agree with him that, yeah, that sounded really difficult and he could still pick a fight, even though I was in agreement. Could probably write a novel about that relationship, even though it only lasted about a year.
174points
#16

We went out for lunch and he offered to pay for me but only if I agreed to be his girlfriend. You know because he's "tired of all these gold diggers". It was Panera Bread and the guy worked at Luby's lol.
I paid for myself and promptly ghosted him heh heh.
I paid for myself and promptly ghosted him heh heh.
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163points
#17

He seemed great. We hit it off and worked through some early issues (he ignored me for days at a time to play video games with his friends, not even a text of hello or sorry, I'm busy). His mom was diagnosed with cancer about a year in, and I moved in with him so I could spend as much time as possible with her and support him as she was terminal. 8 months after she passed away, a friend of mine found his profile on the dating app we met on (currently active with a paid subscription, the same exact profile I met him with). When confronted, he said he was just trying to make friends, and that I couldn't count it as cheating because nobody ever messaged him back. We tried to work things out, but he was found a month later on the same dating site, by the same friend. I wish I could say that was the end, but I gave him another chance. Over the next year, he became the most hateful, miserable man I've ever met and I could no longer mentally handle it. I moved out.
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151points
#18

He manipulated everyone who knew me into thinking that I said horrible things to drive them away from me then used my grief from losing my father as a tool for his manipulation tactics.
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148points
#19

I ended up with a restraining order and had to cut off people who had known me my whole life because they chose to believe his version of the story instead of mine.
So, not well?
So, not well?
127points
#20

Not me but my friend did. He ended up in jail, and she ended up with bruises and a black eye.
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122points


