Insufficiently complimentary?: Underestimating the positive impact of compliments creates a barrier to expressing them.
Level 2 - randomized trial
By design analogy, not clinical CEBM: series of randomized behavioral experiments.
PubMed 34636586 · doi:10.1037/pspa0000277
What was done
Across preliminary surveys and nine experiments (including supplemental experiments), participants wrote genuine compliments and predicted the recipient's emotional reaction, specifically how happy and awkward the recipient would feel. These predictions were compared to recipient-reported experiences. The researchers also measured perspective gaps regarding perceived warmth and competence, and tested an intervention directing participants to focus on the warmth conveyed by compliments.
What was found
The abstract reports no numeric values, sample sizes, or effect estimates. Across Experiments 1-3 and S4, compliment expressers consistently underestimated how positive recipients would feel and overestimated how awkward recipients would feel. Expressers also underestimated how competent and warm their compliments would be perceived. In Experiment 4, directing participants to focus on warmth increased their interest in expressing compliments.
Why it matters
This study shows that miscalibrated expectations about others' reactions act as a psychological barrier to everyday prosocial behavior. Correcting these perspective gaps could help people engage in positive social interactions that benefit well-being.
Limits
The abstract reports no sample sizes, demographic characteristics, or quantitative effect sizes. Generalizability across diverse cultural contexts or differing relationship types (e.g., close relationships vs. workplace hierarchies) is not described in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports People systematically overestimate how negatively others will respond and are overly pessimistic about responses when reaching out in a positive manner.