New study finds New Jerseyans suck at compliments

Giving a compliment isn’t always a walk in the park, yet it's a fundamental aspect of human interaction.

A recent study uncovered that complimenting can elicit discomfort in 43% of Americans, especially here in New Jersey.

Complimenting people helps to spread positivity and encourages connections with both acquaintances and strangers.

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But like a lot of social skills, mastering the art of complimenting takes practice. The more you do it the better you become at it.

However, not everyone interprets compliments in the same way. For instance, it’s obvious if a compliment lacks sincerity. And it’s hard for the recipient of that compliment to really embrace it.

A study conducted by Preply delved into the dynamics of giving and receiving compliments across America, surveying 1,991 participants.

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They asked questions like:

“Do you ever find yourself stumbling over your words after being complimented?” and “Do you ever feel uneasy receiving a compliment?”

Assigning points based on respondents' answers, they figured who excelled at accepting compliments.

It seems that 70% of Americans admit feeling uneasy when receiving compliments.
They also found that Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington rank highest in gracefully accepting compliments.

Wisconsin, Florida, and North Carolina excel in giving compliments.

And interestingly, nearly half (49%) feel compelled to reciprocate a compliment immediately.

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For 43%, giving compliments induces discomfort.

Unfortunately, the findings for New Jersey paint a less flattering picture:

New Jersey ranks as the 5th worst state in giving compliments and 9th worst in receiving them.

The study also found that Individuals from New Jersey are highly prone to stumbling over words when receiving compliments (94%).

We are also least likely to offer specific and personalized compliments (48%).

And Interestingly, New Jerseyans value compliments related to intelligence the most.

The people I surround myself with in New Jersey are very good at giving compliments, and tend to be more humble about receiving them so it’s hard for me to believe how bad we are at the art (or is the science?)

Of compliments — giving and/or receiving. Look at these statistics and see if you feel they really reflect the true essence of most New Jerseyans.