Everybody is familiar with the warm and fuzzy feeling that we get from receiving and giving words of kindness. This infectious warmth spreads rapidly with tell-tale symptoms: bright smiles and happiness in the air.
World Compliment Day, which took place on March 1, is a day dedicated to spreading good spirits and positivity through verbal affirmations and combating constant negativity. Through the practice of outwardly expressing appreciation for one another, general motivation, confidence and happiness increase.
In a study conducted in 2008, researchers Keise Izuma, Daisuke N. Saito and Norihiro Sadato used MRI to scan participants’ brains when receiving compliments and found that it stimulates the striatum, the same part of the brain that reacts to monetary rewards.
“If we’re telling somebody, ‘Hey, great job, I’m really impressed with what you did,’ they’re getting more serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin,” mental health specialist Gina Cross said. “It’s building more of that bond. They feel better about themself, it improves mental health, decreases stress and they have more contentment. It gives them more of a sense of, ‘OK, I can do this, we’re all in this together.’”
Aside from the merits of receiving compliments, giving them proves to be just as beneficial. By creating a habit of giving heartfelt compliments, you are more prone to noticing fine details in others and casting them in a less judgemental light.
However, it is important to keep in mind that some compliments can perpetuate a harmful mindset. Compliments regarding outer appearance or test scores alone can reinforce hurtful and unattainable standards. Instead of placing emphasis on things that people have little control over, giving compliments based on personality traits and actions sends the right message about what truly defines a person.
By normalizing emphasis on a person’s character, the general stigma that self-worth stems from grades or their looks can be dispelled and directed towards something of more moral substance.
“My favorite compliment was when somebody told me that I was reliable and they could trust me with their secrets,” junior Bonnie Bae said. “I was really happy to know that I’m able to make them feel comfortable enough to open up.”
Regardless of the date, you can celebrate the importance of compliments any day. By consistently practicing healthy verbal affirmations, you can foster a more positive environment where people around you pay your kindness forward in a domino effect.
“It can really change the environment on campus if we’re just more intentional about noticing other people and what they’re doing, and really being genuine about it,” Cross said. “If you say something that shows, ‘I’m actually paying attention to you, you are a person of interest, you are worth noticing,’ that person will feel more valued.”
