Insufficiently complimentary?: Underestimating the positive impact of compliments creates a barrier to expressing them.

What is it about?

People underestimate the positive impact of their compliments on other people.

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Why is it important?

We believe these findings may reflect a more general tendency for people to underestimate the positive impact of prosocial actions on others, leading people to be less prosocial than would be optimal for both their own and others’ well-being. For more information on this work and how this is relevant in everyday life, please read articles at Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2021/02/a-simple-compliment-can-make-a-big-difference) and BBC Work (https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210722-why-we-dont-dole-out-many-compliments-but-should)