Mark Twain once said, “I can live two months on a good compliment.” Did you know there is a World Compliment Day? It occurs every year on March 1 and is a “global initiative to create the most positive day in the world.” This is not COVID-19 positivity, but rather a day to spread joy through verbal affirmations of appreciation. 

As humans, we are always thinking. Sometimes, you might think about how you like someone’s shirt or how they are always so kind to everyone, but we don’t always verbalize these thoughts. So many positive thoughts go unsaid, but there is a lot of value that comes from actually saying these words. Compliments have the ability to change someone’s day around for the better. 

Think for a second about a compliment someone has given you. How did it make you feel? Compliments are great for your brain and overall mood. Receiving a compliment releases the neurotransmitter Dopamine in your brain, which has the powerful effect of boosting your mood. 

Complimenting someone not only makes them feel happy, but it makes you happy too! Giving a compliment encourages you to see the good in others, which also helps you see the good in yourself. This goes back to the “rule of reciprocity.” If you give others compliments, you are more likely to receive compliments yourself. Put positivity into the world and it will find its way back to you. 

It is, however, important to mention the importance of giving genuine compliments. It’s not a good practice to give a compliment for the sake of giving a compliment. People can tell whether a compliment is genuine or not. If it’s the latter, they might not trust you to give a genuine compliment in the future. If a compliment is not genuine, people assume you must want something from them. When you give a compliment with the purpose of getting something in return, it becomes flattery. 

So, how can you give a good, genuine compliment? First of all, you need to be honest. As mentioned, giving fake compliments doesn’t do you or the person you’re complimenting any good. Secondly, it’s important to be specific. The more specific you make your compliment, the more personalized it becomes. It also lets the other person know what exactly you appreciate about them. If someone tells everyone their outfit looks amazing, how is it special when they tell you? There needs to be some personalization to make the compliment meaningful. 

Although World Compliment Day only comes once a year, that doesn’t mean you can’t give compliments on the other 364 days. So go out there and tell that random person you love their shirt because it reminds you of the sunset. Don’t keep all the joy inside of you–share it with the world so it can return that positivity right back.