Compliments are often not given due to performance anxiety, bad timing, and the assumption that people already know their good traits. However, compliments are crucial for building relationships. Studies have shown that the positive effect of compliments does not degrade over time, unlike other sources of happiness which are subject to adaptation.
Connecting with people is a sure-fire way to be happier - and you can quickly build relationships with friends and strangers alike just by giving them a sincere compliment.
In the first show of a season about how to be more sociable - we meet Troy Hawke, who makes a living complimenting everyone he passes on the street, and scientist Xuan Zhao - an expert on compliments who ditched her boyfriend for failing to say out loud all the nice things he thought about her.
(For more on Xuan's public benefit startup Flourish Science - a company aiming to "help people discover joy, combat burnout, and cultivate deeper connections within supportive communities" - then visit www.flouriship.com.)
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