103 - Friday Fix: Why Compliments Make You Cringe

On the surface, it seems like hearing nice things about yourself would help you feel good. After all, don’t you want to know if your colleague thinks you’re brilliant or the person you’re dating thinks you’re attractive? 

If hearing a compliment actually makes you feel uncomfortable, though, you’re not alone. Most people actually cringe when they hear a compliment about themselves.

In an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness, we tend to deflect compliments. Consequently, we miss out on the benefits of hearing praise.

Fortunately, you can grow more comfortable with hearing nice things about yourself. But first, you have to understand why you don’t want to hear compliments.

So in this Friday Fix, I share the four main reasons compliments make us cringe, the three ways we try to deflect compliments, and the things you can do to get more comfortable hearing nice things about yourself.