Compliments: Good or Bad?

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with one of my friends. We ended up getting on the topics of compliments. I never really realized just how many different sides to compliments there could be. Some people love compliments, some people like to give them, some people hate to get them, and others love to get them. I have always looked at compliments as a positive thing because they make people feel good. And that is a good thing.

My friend mentioned that she never knows how to take a compliment. She says that sometimes she never knows if the person giving her the compliment is being sincere in what they are saying. She also mentioned that compliments from strangers mean more to her than when they come from someone she knows. At first, I did not see her logic in this, but after thinking about it, strangers usually pick up on things about you very quickly and compliment those attributes or qualities. It feels good to hear someone you do not know say something nice about you. I agree that it can be less awkward receiving a compliment from a stranger; however, how do you know if they are being sincere? After all, they are a stranger.

I, on the other hand, love compliments. I love getting compliments and I love giving compliments. They instantly boost my mood. I hope that they do the same for other people, so that is why I love giving them. After having our conversation, I started to wonder if people believed what I was saying when I gave them a compliment. What if people I have been giving compliments to have found them awkward to receive? Or worse, what if they did not believe me?

The biggest thing that I realized from the conversation is that many people do not know how to give sincere and genuine compliments. If we could know that people were being sincere every time they gave us a compliment , I think many people who do not like getting compliments would start to appreciate them more. From now on, do not ever give a compliment you do not mean. Be sincere in the things you say--they mean more. And that is important.