Thumbs-UpDo the people in your life know how good you feel about them?  How proud you are of his performance?  How optimistic you are about her future?  How excited you are about his new venture?  Or the fact that you admire her skill as a presenter, appreciate her can-do attitude, enjoy his cheerful smile or value the straightforward answer you’ve come to count on each time you call him with a question?

At work, at home, in the grocery store, on the train – wherever you are – if you notice something you appreciate about another person, tell them!  Spread the wealth.

While giving and receiving compliments feels good, researchers suggest using compliments is an effective way to encourage learning and reinforce desirable behavior.   According to a Forbes.com article, receiving a compliment is almost as good as receiving cash.  The people in the referenced study who were complimented performed remarkably better the day after than those who had not.

No matter how much we think our success comes from within, what others think and feel about us matters.   It feeds our basic need to be loved and to belong – which is the third rung on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  Try as we might to convince ourselves that what others think doesn’t matter, caring and reacting to others is a basic human instinct.

So when you feel good about people in your life, tell them so.  Compliments are a deposit into their emotional bank account – a deposit that’s worth more and lasts longer than money.

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