Passive-aggressive behavior is when you indirectly express your negative feelings to others instead of being open and honest. If you’re angry at a coworker, for example, you might intentionally miss a project deadline or ignore their requests throughout the day. When you’re frustrated with a friend, you might use sarcastic comments such as, “Wow, you’re so smart,” to criticize their ideas. Behaving passive-aggressively can impact both your own and other people’s mental health. Passive-aggressive behavior can erode your social support and make it difficult to communicate effectively with others.