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    • Research  (3)
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  • All HBS Web  (4)
    • News  (1)
    • Research  (3)
  • Faculty Publications  (1)
Page 1 of 4 Results
  • 2018
  • Working Paper

Backhanded Compliments: How Negative Comparisons Undermine Flattery

By: Ovul Sezer, Alison Wood Brooks and Michael I. Norton
Seven studies (N = 2352) examine backhanded compliments—seeming praise that draws a comparison with a negative standard—a distinct self-presentation strategy with two simultaneous goals: eliciting liking (“Your speech was good…”) and conveying status (“…for a woman”).... View Details
Keywords: Backhanded Compliments; Self-presentation; Impression Management; Interpersonal Perception; Liking; Status; Image Concern; Interpersonal Communication; Status and Position; Perception; Motivation and Incentives
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Sezer, Ovul, Alison Wood Brooks, and Michael I. Norton. "Backhanded Compliments: How Negative Comparisons Undermine Flattery." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 18-082, February 2018.
  • 15 Mar 2018
  • Working Paper Summaries

Backhanded Compliments: How Negative Comparisons Undermine Flattery

Keywords: by Ovul Sezer, Alison Wood Brooks, and Michael I. Norton
  • 16 Apr 2018
  • News

Let me compliment you, sort of

  • 13 Mar 2018
  • First Look

March 13, 2018

simultaneous goals: eliciting liking (“Your speech was good ”) and conveying status (“ for a woman”). Backhanded compliments are common, from delivering feedback in work settings to communicating in casual... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
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