The Cognitive Benefits of Giving Compliments
If you have ever given someone a compliment on their shoes, or on their hairstyle, you may have noticed that you feel really good afterwards. Why is that? The easy way to understand this would be that you take pride in making someone else's day better. But what is the cognitive science behind it? In a post by PhD candidate Suzanne van de Groep, she included that a recent study attempted to answer this question. Through the use of MRI, they found that "receiving compliments led to similar activation in reward areas of the brain, such as the striatum, as receiving monetary gifts" (Groep, 2018). She explains how this describes why people will choose to give back to others rather than receive monetary rewards, because it gives the individual similar cognitive experiences.
Receiving praise has also shown to help us learn better. When you were in grade school and your teacher told you to "keep up the good work" or "I love how you wrote that paragraph!", they were hoping that giving you these praise would do one of two things. First, it would make you enjoy the learning process and coming to school. This would affirm your behavior of learning and giving effort at school. Second, it would help you remember the certain topic you were learning because you were rewarded for completing it.
While telling someone you like their outfit will definitely make them feel good, it has so many other benefits. Along with making them feel good, it will make you feel like you just found a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk (at least it is supposed to feel that way). You can also use compliments to affirm certain behaviors you want to see someone do. Next time you have a roomate you want to stop leaving their dirty clothes on the floor, give them a compliment after they pick up a dirty sock or piece of clothing. This may affirm them to be rewarded each time the pick up a piece of dirty laundry!
Groep, 2018. World Compliment Day: The Science Behind Praise. https://www.leidenpsychologyblog.nl/articles/world-compliment-day-the-science-behind-praise
The connection between praise and learning really stood out to me since giving praise to someone about a simple task can affirm their effort towards learning! To me, it was also interesting to learn that something as simple as a compliment activates the same reward centers in our brains as getting money. It's important to remember that these small compliments/acts of kindness can make as big of an impact for others as it does for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you connected something as simple as giving a compliment to actual brain activity and cognitive science, it made the topic both relatable and insightful. The example about complimenting a roommate to encourage positive behavior was clever and practical! It’s interesting to think that something as small as a kind word can activate the same reward centers as money. Your explanation made me see compliments not just as nice gestures, but as powerful tools for learning, motivation, and behavior change.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post. It made me think about compliments in a new way. I never realized they could have that much power, both in helping others and in making us feel good too.
ReplyDeleteYour post was such a refreshing read, and your opening example about how giving compliments can make us feel good immediately pulled me in. I appreciated how you connected this everyday experience to cognitive science and learning psychology, especially the point that giving compliments activates the same reward centers as receiving monetary rewards. It is fascinating to think about how these small moments of kindness have measurable impacts on our brains.
ReplyDeleteReading your post also made me reflect on how focusing on the positive can shape our behavior and mindset. Personally, I’ve found that “fake it ‘til you make it” can be surprisingly effective. If I am feeling grouchy, putting on a smile and acting cheerful often helps shift my mood. When my children were younger, we made it a daily habit to reflect on kindness by asking them to name three things they did that day to make the world a better place and three things they planned to do the next day. It could be as simple as holding a door or giving someone a compliment. Over the years, I noticed that not only did these small actions brighten others’ days, but my children also received more positive feedback in return. Your post reinforces for me that focusing intentionally on being positive and supporting others is not just a “feel\ good” practice but is grounded in the way our brains respond to reinforcement, making it a truly effective parenting and life strategy.