Key Takeaways
- Positivity-boosting compliments can foster a better mood by recognizing someone’s good qualities and efforts.
- Focus on giving specific compliments that highlight someone’s optimism, resilience, or kindness.
- Giving personalized, detailed compliments can help make your words more memorable and meaningful.
Positivity-boosting compliments are genuine expressions of regard, admiration, praise, or respect that can improve someone’s mood and help you feel more connected to them. They tend to work best when they are personalized, specific, genuine, and highlight someone’s effort, character, or presence. Examples include “You always make every day brighter,” or “I really admire how you handle challenges.”
Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee
Why Positivity-Boosting Compliments Feel So Great
Receiving a compliment feels great. The health and happiness benefits of the compliment giver are also well-documented. One study also found that practicing kindness toward others can be beneficial for individuals at risk of mental health problems.
There’s emotional reciprocity involved with giving compliments. Seeing someone else happy, especially when you were the one who made them happy, in turn makes you happy. It’s one of the simplest ways to boost someone else’s mood as well as your own.
Compliments really are one of the easiest two-way streets available to spread happiness around you and increase your own. The more you compliment, the better you feel. We know it can feel awkward sometimes to dish out a compliment—and to receive one—but the more practice you get, the more natural it will feel.
Here are a hundred ready-made compliments to try out for yourself. Such compliments can work for almost any situation, whether you compliment a friend, colleague, or loved one.
Ways to Compliment Someone’s Positivity
These compliments focus on the joy, fun, and positive outlook a person brings. It’s not easy to stay positive all the time, so it’s important to let someone know when they have a positive impact on you and those around them:
- Your smile is contagious.
- I bet you can make even the crankiest babies smile.
- You have the best laugh.
- You light up the room.
- You have a great sense of humor.
- If you were a cartoon character, you’d be the one that gets bluebirds to sing on your shoulders.
- You’re like sunshine on a rainy day.
- You bring out the best in other people.
- There’s just something about you that shines.
- Colors seem brighter when you’re around.
- You always know how to have fun.
- Jokes are funnier when you tell them.
- You’re the best at finding silver linings.
- You always know what to say to make me feel better.
- Being around you is like a happy little vacation.
- You’re more fun than bubble wrap.
- You’re like a breath of fresh air.
- You’re someone’s reason to smile.
- You’re the only person who can always make me laugh.
Compliments That Highlight Personal Traits
These compliments acknowledge different qualities a person exhibits. We are often very self-conscious about different aspects of our lives and worried about how others perceive us. Compliments along these lines can go a long way to making someone feel a bit more comfortable in their own skin:
- You have impeccable manners.
- I like your style.
- You’re strong.
- Is that your picture next to “charming” in the dictionary?
- Your kindness is a balm to all who encounter it.
- You are brave.
- You are beautiful on the inside and outside.
- You have the courage of your convictions.
- You’re a great listener.
- Hipsters are probably jealous of how cool you are.
- There are so many different things that make you really interesting.
- You’re inspiring.
- You’re so thoughtful.
- When you make up your mind, nothing stands in your way.
- You seem to really know who you are.
Compliments for Intelligence, Creativity, and Resourcefulness
These compliments show that you appreciate a person’s abilities. When we work hard at something, it’s nice to be recognized for it, right? That doesn’t always have to come in the form of major accolades or tangible rewards—sometimes a pointed observation or compliment will do the trick:
- You’re a smart cookie.
- Your perspective is refreshing.
- How do you know so much about everything?
- When you say, “I meant to do that,” I actually believe you.
- You have the best ideas.
- You’re always learning new things and trying to better yourself. That’s awesome.
- If someone based an Internet meme on you, it would have impeccable grammar.
- You could survive a zombie apocalypse.
- When you make a mistake, you fix it.
- You’re great at figuring stuff out.
- Your creative potential seems limitless.
- I bet you do crossword puzzles in ink.
- You have a good head on your shoulders.
- Everyone gets knocked down sometimes; only people like you get back up again and keep going.
Compliments That Celebrate Accomplishments
It is often good to compliment a specific action or achievement, especially when you know someone has worked hard to get where they are. This kind of positive reinforcement can be hugely motivating:
- I am so proud of you, and I hope you are too!
- You are making a difference.
- You deserve all the credit you’re getting.
- You’re a great example to others.
- Actions speak louder than words, and yours tell an incredible story.
Compliments That Strengthen Personal Relationships
How do you compliment a friend? Sometimes it can be tough to actually verbalize what someone means to you in a way that won’t sound too cheesy. Try using these compliments that focus on how your friend relates to others.
- You’re an awesome friend.
- You’re more helpful than you realize.
- Hanging out with you is always a good time.
- You always seem to know what others need.
- Being around you makes everything better.
- You should be thanked more often.
- The world is better because you’re in it.
- It’s great to know that you’ve got my back.
- You always know just what to say.
- Your friends are lucky to have you in their lives.
- Any team should be grateful to have you on it.
- There’s a reason people are drawn to you.
- The way you treasure your loved ones is incredible.
- You’re a gift to those around you.
Thoughtful Compliments About Appearance
These compliments can be problematic, as complimenting appearance can come across as flirting, and so they should be avoided in many business and social contexts.
Complimenting one’s appearance (body, shape, or weight) can also be harmful, especially to someone who is struggling with an eating disorder or body image issue.
If you do use appearance-based comments, know your audience. Make sure it is the right situation, appropriate for your relationship with the person, and not something that will make them feel uncomfortable:
- You have been glowing lately.
- You look great today.
- Your eyes are breathtaking.
- How is it that you can make any outfit work for you?
- That color is perfect on you.
- Is that a new perfume? It smells great.
- Your smile lights up the room.
- Your confidence is infectious.
- Have you been working out?
- Your hair looks stunning.
- Your voice is magnificent.
- I wish I had your nose.
- You’re irresistible when you blush.
- Has anyone ever told you that you have great posture?
Complimenting a Romantic Interest
If you want to compliment someone you are interested in romantically or sexually, be polite, recognize the contexts in which such compliments are appropriate, and pay attention to the tone of voice and body language. Respect the other person’s boundaries if your compliments seem unwelcome.
Rather than focusing on aspects of their physical body, consider complimenting something like their style, talents, or behaviors. For example, you might say something like:
- I absolutely love that shirt. It really brings out the color of your eyes.
- Your hair looks so great today.
- You have such a great sense of style.
- You have such a great personality.
- I really enjoy talking to you.
If you want to compliment someone you are in a relationship with, you might mention how they make you feel, how much you enjoy seeing them each day, or how creative and talented they are.
Compliments That Recognize the Whole Person
These compliments may be a little too general. As with complimenting appearance, consider whether they are appropriate or may be bordering on flirtatious:
- I appreciate you.
- You are perfect just the way you are.
- You are enough.
- On a scale from 1 to 10, you’re an 11.
- You’ve got all the right moves.
- Everything would be better if more people were like you.
- You are an incredible human.
- You’re wonderful.
- You’re one of a kind.
- Whoever raised you deserves a medal for a job well done.
- Time spent with you is always worth it.
- In high school, I bet you were voted “Best, period.”
- If you were a scented candle, you’d be the rare one that actually smells like what it’s supposed to.
- There’s ordinary, and then there’s you.
- You’re even better than a unicorn because you’re real.
- You’re really something special.
How to Give a Positivity-Boosting Compliment
- Practice: Start complimenting and find out for yourself how great it makes you feel.
- Personalize it: If you pick any of these, be sure to personalize it so it truly reflects what you appreciate about the person you are complimenting.
- Consider their response: If someone deflects your compliments or responds awkwardly, consider what their response might reveal about them. In some cases, they may feel uncomfortable with the attention, or they may simply not know how to accept a compliment.
- Keep the conversation going: In either case, try not to take it too personally and move the conversation forward by talking about other subjects without dwelling on the awkwardness.
Research has found that we tend to underestimate the positive impact of giving compliments and overestimate how uncomfortable their words might make the recipient. This makes people less likely to engage in prosocial behaviors. So, don’t be afraid to let someone know you appreciate them!
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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