“People have trouble accepting compliments for a number of reasons… It can also be caused by feelings of low self-esteem, or by going through life without experiencing positive feelings of gratitude,” explains Lisa Schuman, a therapist and social worker.
The best approach, she says, is to keep it super simple with a "thank you" or “I appreciate it." Beyond that, there's no need to share an excuse or deflect a compliment. Doing so can impact your sense of self-worth.
All this to say, many of us respond awkwardly to compliments as an unconscious act of self-protection. Unfortunately, this unconscious self-protection often robs us of human connection. It keeps us from letting in the kind words and gratitude of others.
“People have trouble accepting compliments for a number of reasons. Sometimes, it's tied to social anxiety. It can also be caused by feelings of low self-esteem, or by going through life without experiencing positive feelings of gratitude,” explains Lisa Schuman, a New York–based social worker.
noun. : a compliment that implies it is not really a compliment at all. She paid me a backhanded compliment when she said my work was "surprisingly good."
We've lost touch with the fact that a compliment was not meant to be about us and what we don't have, but about someone else and what they do. We've lost touch with it because today — more than before — we are told exactly what a “perfect” human is. We know how they look, how they speak, and what they do.
To take a more psychological view, when we blush, we may betray aspects of our self that we may otherwise wish to conceal. A flushed reaction to a compliment may at first glance suggest modesty, but could more fundamentally reveal a sense of being undeserving or an expectation of imminent failure.
Say, "You're beautiful," or "You are exquisite." Try picking out one particular quality to compliment her on: say, "You have the most gorgeous eyes," or "Your smile is radiant." Don't be afraid to get creative and tap into your feelings, and make sure that you mean it.
Teasing is one of the biggest ways that a man can flirt with you. If he makes fun of you lightly for your clothes, for how you walk, how you laugh, or for any of the other things about you that he actually just thinks are really adorable, then he's definitely flirting with you.
When he is flirting with you, he may lean closer towards you while you and he are speaking. He may angle his body towards you, make eye contact, keep his feet faced in your direction, or tilt his head while he talks to you. These body language cues signal one thing: He is very much into you!
