Open Menu
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
lotide
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
Login

Research shows ‘compliment sandwich’ no longer effective

⁨43⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Pro@mander.xyz⁩ to ⁨science@mander.xyz⁩

https://news.westernu.ca/2025/08/compliment-sandwich-not-effective/

source

Comments

Sort:hotnewtop
  • memfree@piefed.social ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    “They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop,” MacMillan explained. “Regularly starting with a compliment to ease into a critique quickly teaches people to be on high alert. They end up ignoring the positive and resenting the negative.”

    This sounds like too many people only offer compliments immediately before a complaint. Further down, the article lists alternate strategies, but never gets to the idea of giving intermittent positive reinforcement.

    source
    • AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      It’s so easy to underestimate positive reinforcement, but it can make a big difference.

      Personally, I don’t mind receiving a compliment sandwich as long as the compliments are genuine, and the criticism is constructive.

      I can tell when people are doing it, but still appreciate the effort when it’s done right. There are probably better strategies to use, but definitely prefer that to the ultra negative shit on everything management style. I had a boss like that for ~2 years, and it just made every aspect of work so miserable.

      source
    • tacosanonymous@mander.xyz ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      It literally skips the greatest tool in behavior modification?! Big oof

      source
  • otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Plot twist: it never was 🖕🏽

    source
    • otp@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      It works the first couple of times the receiver gets feedback that way. In their entire lives.

      I’ve realized that what the article says applies to me – it can be hard to receive positive feedback when you’re anticipating the upcoming “constructive feedback”.

      And then you’re left wondering how hard it was for them to come up with the positive stuff. Is the positive stuff all fake just for the purposes of wrapping the “constructive” part?

      source
  • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    We call it a shit sandwich here

    source
    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Pretty sure everywhere calls it that. The article emphasizing it by renaming a sandwich for the bread and not the contents in the middle is just a lack of creativity.

      source
  • TheBat@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    No more complimentary sandwich with my order of soup? 😞

    source
    • lost_faith@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      No soup for you!

      source