Complimenting someone seems like such a simple and easy thing to do. What’s surprising is the effect it has not only on the person receiving the compliment, but also the person giving it. Who knew feeling good could be so easy?!
Research shows that everyone from giving and receiving compliments because they contribute to your overall well-being. Compliments help to build relationships with one another, encourage motivation, improve communication and boost self-esteem and self-confidence.
It’s also been said that the need to be seen, recognized and appreciated by others is critical to a positive well-being, which makes the act of complimenting that much more important!
Did you know there are 4 types of compliments that you can give or receive?
- How people look: “I really love your new hair cut”
- Things people have: “Wow… that’s a cool new iPhone.”
- Things people do: “You are such a great hockey player.”
- Ways people behave: “You are such a good friend to me…”
Now that we have the “giving” part down, lets focus on receiving compliments. Are we the only ones who find accepting compliments a little… awkward? If you do too, you’ve come to the right place! It’s not uncommon for people to feel awkward about what to say back to a compliment. Why does it seem so hard just to say “thank you”?!
Here are some tips to help you accept this form of praise well:
- You guessed it… just say “thank you!” – these are two powerful words!
- Be aware of your body language – smile and show your appreciation
- Be humble
- Be genuine and not fake
- Repay with a compliment to them
- Match their level of enthusiasm
- Don’t attack or undermine the compliment
Self-esteem is vital to our well-being. With part 1 and part 2 of our self-esteem blog series, we’re sure you’re on the right track to improving your own!
Other Upopolis blogs on this subject include:
How to Build Confidence in Teen (October 26, 2022). How to: Build Confidence in Teens – Upopolis
A Prescription for Self-Love (February 7, 2022). A Prescription for Self-Love – Upopolis
Written by Sophie, a post-graduate student from University of Guelph-Humber.
With references from Boothby’s “A Simple compliment can make a big difference”, Case Western Reserve University “5 Reasons why you should give compliments”, Penn State College “The power of compliments” and Kumar’s “10 tips of self-esteem to boost yourself easily”.
