Flowers have powers to change men’s dating prospects, studies suggest

By Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., Monmouth University
 
Whether it is red roses for Valentine’s Day or a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers as a bride walks down the aisle, flowers are inextricably linked with relationships. But can the mere presence of flowers influence relationships, such as affecting dating prospects? Apparently they can, if we are to believe the results of experiments done by Nicolas Guéguen at the University of Southern Brittany.

In the first experiment, Guéguen randomly assigned female participants to watch a video of a male discussing food while participants were either sitting in a room decorated with three vases full of flowers (roses, marigolds, and daisies), or sitting in a room decorated with empty vases. Women who sat in the room with flowers rated the male in the video as sexier and more attractive – and they were more willing to date him.

How to handle a compliment

Receiving a compliment obviously is nice. But how do you handle a compliment? How does one respond to a compliment? It depends on the type compliment.

Respond to a sincere compliment with an equally sincere "thank you." If someone tells "You look nice today" or "Your hair looks great" or "You are always very helpful" respond with thanking him or her. You do not need to feel obliged to respond with a lengthy reiteration of your appreciation or the compliment because "Thank you!" is a powerful little sentence that most often says enough.

Life is short - spend a second to pay a compliment

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire lifetime to forget them.

Life is short - spend a second to pay a compliment today to the person you will never forget.

The trouble with reality is that there's no background music

The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music. So the saying goes. Often the only sound is the office clattering or kids screaming. Take a break! It is not easy but you can take a break in your head. Just for a moment. Switch off. Then think of something nice about yourself. Try it now...

Now, give yourself a compliment. Instead of thinking "I feel good today," say to yourself, "I look good today." Nobody's going to hear you and it doesn't matter because this compliment is just for you.

Instead of "These shoes look great," say "I look great in these shoes."
Instead of "This is a nice-looking handbag," say "This handbag suites me nice."
Instead of "I like my phone," say "This phone likes me!"
Instead of "I love chocolate," say "I will look good covered in chocolate."

And you'll find that it will be music to your ears.

The greatest compliment ever paid

Been browsing all the witty quotes by clever people, reading lots of books about love letters sent by famous people, going through song lyrics, and looking up sms poems searching for the greatest compliment. I found a lot; they all say the same thing...

The greatest compliment one can ever pay is simply saying "I love you."

The value of a sister or brother

To Realize

The value of a sister or brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years
Ask a graduate.

The greatest compliment you can pay yourself

It's tough out there! People are losing jobs, losing their vehicles, losing their homes. Not just any people, they may be members of your own family or network. The have become victims of circumstances not out of their own doing (but, may God forgive them, the doing of others). Be that as it may, they need help.

You might say, "Heck, if anyone needs help, it is me!" But maybe you have a spare room, extra clothes, a second car, a third TV set, just an old radio. Give it to those who need it. Because nothing lasts forever, not even the bad times, and when they (the bad times) are over those who you shared your extras with will pay back in kind, in wishes or prayers. You might feel that you do not need anything in return but there is one thing that you will have forever: the greatest compliment you can pay yourself.

I'll complement your compliment

Not sure how to respond to a compliment? The question is not how you "act" but how you react. Learbubble's video certainly is some food for... well, a compliment.

A friend told me

A friend told me about a text message he received from a friend of ours, basically just paying me a compliment. My friend did not have to tell me but I thought, in a way, by telling me about it was also his way of confirming the compliment. Obviously it made me feel good.

So keep this in mind: if your friend tells you of somebody else saying something nice about you it also is your friend paying you a compliment. And do likewise: when you hear something nice being said about a person and you feel the same, tell that person. It's a double compliment.

You look fantastic today

That dress brings out the summer in you! You look fantastic today!

May compliments hound you throughout the year

May peace break into your house. 

May you loose all your debts. 

May laughter continuoually smother your lips. 

May your tears be of joy. 

May problems forget your home address. 

May compliments hound you thoughout the year! 

Wishing you all the great compliments

Another year, another wish. Hope and fortune. I wish you a year of all the great compliments.

'Tis the reason for the season

"'Tis the reason for the season," you may hear Christians say in regards to Christmas. You may have a different believe but most likely also enjoyed the holiday festivities. Even if you did not believe that Christ has laid down his life for you, at this time somebody has given you a gift of a different kind: a present, well wishes, a smile. Whatever you received, consider it a compliment. It was given with kindness. Perhaps you want to return the compliment.

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Let your candle burn bright. 'Tis the reason for the season!

People need fresh air and compliments

Image by Tambako the Jaguar via Flickr

"People need fresh air, healthy food, clean water, exercise, creative stimulation, companionship, self-esteem and a safe place to sleep. All of these things are simple to obtain. Most of them are free." Thus writes Tim Patterson on The Traveler's Notebook. Let's add compliments. People need fresh air and compliments.

Tim continues: "For fresh air, go outside. For exercise, take a walk. For creative stimulation, go somewhere new. For companionship, make a friend. For self esteem, turn off your TV, breathe deep and open your spirit to the basic goodness of the world."

See, it's easy! Discover the basic goodness in yourself. The more you give, the more worth you will feel within yourself. Give something free but valuable this holiday season. Give a compliment to the one you love.

Happy Holidays!

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I support compliments

Image by LexnGer via Flickr"The more sympathy you give, the less you need." These are some wise words by Malcolm S. Forbes. The same may be said for compliments: "The more compliments you give, the less you need."

We all need a compliment now-and-then. It's a nice human thing that can make a day a bit brighter. In fact, sometimes it can make the day just so much better for a friend (or stranger, even) who needs a boost of confidence.

A compliment is a simple gift but it is effective. It costs nothing, yet can make more of a difference than money can buy. As written in the Bible, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. "

Go ahead! Don't be shy. Support compliments. Go give a compliment now. You'll see, the more you give compliments, the less you need because giving is even better than receiving. Have a great day!