Who doesn’t like to be admired for his looks or dexterous skills?
We often think that seeking admiration from others is a quality that society engenders in us.
However, recent psychological research suggests this feeling is rooted deep inside our brains, where essential traits like anger and fear reside.
Researchers trace this attribute to the Posteromedial Cortices ( PMC) brain region.
On the pretext of admiration, many people consider compliments and flirting identical.
This is not true, as there are sharp differences between them.
Key Takeaways
- A compliment is a genuine expression of praise, admiration, or appreciation directed towards another person, acknowledging their positive qualities or achievements.
- Flirting is a playful behavior that shows romantic or sexual interest in another person, often involving compliments, teasing, or subtle gestures.
- Compliments are straightforward expressions of appreciation while flirting involves a more playful and suggestive tone to signal romantic or sexual interest.
Compliment vs Flirt
The difference between compliments and flirting is that compliments can be directed towards any gender and emphasize general admiration, whereas flirting employs a myriad of compliments with the prime purpose of attracting the opposite gender.
Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!
A compliment is the general admiration of anyone, whether an elder or a younger person, for some specific trait that awes others.
A sincere compliment can work wonders in raising a person’s morale.
Conversely, flirting is admiration when a person finds another person–probably of the opposite gender–attractive and strives for a deeper relationship.
At other times, the sole purpose may merely be playful amusement.
Comparison Table
| Parameter Of Comparison | Compliment | Flirting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A compliment is a vocal expression that shows respect, affection, or admiration for the other person. | Flirting is a behaviour that suggests that a person finds another person attractive, mainly without any serious intent. |
| Gender Specificity | Compliments can apply to any gender. They generally have less to do with lovable adoration. | Flirting applies specifically to the opposite gender. It can manifest itself into lovable adoration. |
| Age Factor | Complimenting someone is not subject to any age barriers. We can compliment anyone. | Flirting behaviour is most familiar with people of the same age or with a minor age gap. |
| Effect on Brain Cells | Praising someone boosts their positive response towards tasks. This encourages the person to work harder to perfect his skills. | Flirting excites parts of the brain that release chemicals such as dopamine and beta-endorphins. This leads to a feeling of euphoria. |
| Effect on Recipient | Compliments generally have a positive impact on the recipients. A person receives them with gratitude. | Flirting may positively or negatively affect the recipient based on his social and cultural priorities and conditions. |
What is Compliment?
A compliment is a sincere admiration representing approval of the other person’s unique qualities.
This admiration could be for a person who is extremely good at some physical skill, for a person who appears courteous to you, or even for a diligent worker.
When we praise someone, the amount of dopamine released increases.
The person gets a positive impression that his work is appreciated. This encourages the person to do better further.
Research suggests that compliments to a person have a similar effect as when receiving a cash reward.
In both cases, the same part of the brain called the striatum is activated.
Compliments lead to better “skill consolidation “ during sleep.
They affect the life satisfaction and well-being of an individual. People become more self-conscious about adopting good habits.
In a professional environment, complimenting co-workers has a very positive effect. It builds confidence in them and allows for focused and better team management.
However, one should abstain from excessive complimenting as it makes the person appear insincere. Even if the admirer is genuine, the admired person may take the compliment as mere flattery.
What is Flirt?
Flirting is a social behaviour that shows a person’s attraction towards someone of the opposite gender.
Generally, flirting is common among people in the same age group. Many times, people seek good looks from a person during flirting.
Flirting can be verbal or non–verbal, but people associating themselves with extrovert personalities seem to be more engaged in a direct oral approach.
Flirting is a social signal that indicates the recognition of a person in the crowd.
This stems from the desire of the approaching person to establish contact with the one he finds interesting.
Psychologists have found that flirting has evolved due to a natural process as a result of natural selection.
Men are more indulged in flirting behaviours for the sole purpose of amusement.
Flirting can be in many forms or deemed appropriate or inappropriate. This depends on how the person being flirted with comprehends it.
In the professional environment, flirting by an authoritative person may appear as harassment to a junior.
Flirting is a healthy habit if practised with morality and without ill intentions.
The other person may or may not see it as a joke, but it’s the responsibility of a person to respect others and not let them feel humiliated.
Main Differences Between Compliment and Flirt
A person must know the difference between a compliment and flirting, as both are significantly contrasting.
Compliments are general, whereas flirting draws many compliments for ideological reasons.
The main points of difference between the two are :
- Complimenting is a general act of approval for skills in other people, whereas flirting is the specific act of complimenting a person to establish romantic relationships.
- Complimenting is not gender directed. It accounts for both males and females. On the other hand, flirting is solely elicited to attract the opposite gender.
- Complimenting someone makes them feel good and increases their productivity. Flirting only hallucinates a person to euphoria for a definite period and generally does not affect that person’s productivity.
- Compliments are primarily sincere and are not associated with apprehensions regarding flattery. Conversely, flirting makes it clear that the person is trying to impress the other person with insincere flattery.
- Compliments are not age-specific–a person can compliment anyone if he views a good quality in them. Flirting is always age-specific–a younger person may rarely flirt with an octogenarian for reasons other than amusement.
- https://online.ucpress.edu/representations/article-abstract/104/1/126/81634
- https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/9917
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
