If compliments make you feel super awkward, this comic is for you

Love your outfit! Great presentation! Cool glasses! When someone praises you, do you accept it? Or dismiss it?

Your reaction says a lot about how you feel about yourself, and it can affect how the other person feels too, say researchers.

Social psychologist Erica Boothby and behavioral scientist Xuan Zhao explain the science of compliments — and make the case for accepting someone’s kind remarks about you.


This comic was edited by visual editor Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and sign up for our newsletter.

 

Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time

The FDA's controversial vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, is leaving the agency. It's the second time he has abruptly departed following decisions involving the review of vaccinations and specialty drugs.

Family, former presidents and a Hall of Famer give Rev. Jesse Jackson a final sendoff

Several speakers at Jackson's funeral invoked his hallmark catchphrases: "Keep hope alive" and "I am somebody."

Bernard LaFayette, Selma voting rights organizer, dies at 85

Bernard LaFayette, who died Thursday, laid the foundations of the Selma, Alabama, campaign that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He was a Freedom Rider and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Oil surges to its highest price since 2023, and stocks drop after U.S. jobs report

Stocks fell Friday on worries that the economy could become stuck in a worst-case scenario of stagnating growth and high inflation. Oil prices touched their highest levels since 2023 after surging again because of the Iran war.

No lawsuits required: U.S. Customs is working on a system to refund tariffs

U.S. Customs told the trade court it aims for a streamlined process in 45 days to return importers' money without requiring individual lawsuits.

Poll: A majority of Americans opposes U.S. military action in Iran

Most Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of Iran, and a majority sees Iran as either only a minor threat or no threat at all, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds.

More Front Page Coverage