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If compliments make you feel super awkward, this comic is for you

Love your outfit! Great presentation! Cool glasses! When someone praises you, do you accept it? Or dismiss it?

Your reaction says a lot about how you feel about yourself, and it can affect how the other person feels too, say researchers.

Social psychologist Erica Boothby and behavioral scientist Xuan Zhao explain the science of compliments — and make the case for accepting someone's kind remarks about you.

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This comic was edited by visual editor Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.

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Copyright 2025 NPR

Andee Tagle (she/her) is an associate producer and now-and-then host for NPR's Life Kit podcast.
Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.
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