I used to fear giving compliments. Here’s why I think you’re awesome

“I love those tattoos,” are words that have never escaped my lips, at least until mid-September when I approached a heavily-inked couple on the streets of Austin.

I was a little nervous about how they might take this compliment. I don’t have the look of a tattoo aficionado: I’m 63, with no tattoos in sight. My most distinct article of clothing is a “Tony’s on Broadway” T-shirt, and I radiate the vibe (accurately) of a total square. But they love the compliment – they even like the shirt – and we chat happily together for a few minutes. They’re tattoo artists from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had recently visited my hometown of Washington, D.C. They had enjoyed the museums, found the street design confusing and were keen to discuss whether Pierre L’Enfant’s heavy use of traffic circles would confuse invading infantry.

This was one of the first of many such compliments I would give that day in Austin, all part of a personal experiment in my Year of Living Socially. Research has shown that compliments are important speech acts – often fundamental building blocks – in the construction of social relationships and rapport. They are social lubricants, with strangers and friends…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/life/