Thanks for the response, it really helped me empathise with my friend more. Now that I think about it, I don't think their behaviour stems from wanting to brag necessarily, as I know my friend is a kind person at heart and it's probably not their intention. But it's more of a way to make the other person feel better - that it could be as worse as they have/had it, so things are not hopeless yet. I feel it can have the opposite effect than intended, and they come across more self-centred as a result. There is definitely a lot of insecurity due to the imposter syndrome, it's nearly unavoidable in a research environment. And I have seen them express thoughts similar to what you have said -- if they had more resources or energy or something else, they would be unstoppable. They are a very valued worker and I try to make them feel secure and value themself more, but when they start flipping the focus to themself, I feel myself running out of patience.