[honie]

> ... receiving sincere and well-expressed praise can feel as good as an unexpected windfall.

Going on a bit of a tangent: I think giving "sincere and well-expressed" criticisms is just as, if not more, important.

Some of the most profound lessons I have learnt in life come in the form of criticisms from people who don't know me well or at all. As far as I can tell they all have this in common: they are not afraid to be honest and they make sure that I know they are just looking out for me.

> The effects of the flattery were dramatic, with 79% of the participants offering to help with the event publicity, compared with only 46% of participants in a control group, who had not received the compliment.

In contrast, and somewhat related to the quote above, I feel that compliments are just short term "hacks" and, at least to me, don't really shape me in any meaningful way.