Is it true that guys are hungry for compliments?

Question

Is this true? Do you guys feel like you don't get enough compliments? Are you hungry for them?

MrOracle · Accepted Answer

I assume we're talking about PERSONAL compliments, rather than compliments about work accomplishments here.

The top 10% of men get compliments from women fairly often - the rest of men almost never get a personal compliment from a woman. I've had guy friends tell me that they can count on the fingers of one hand all the personal complements they've received from women and have fingers left over - and these were guys in their 30s, who were successful. I suspect if you gave the average woman the amount of attention that a 7/10 man (that's a man who is decidedly above average) got from women over the course of a week, that woman would be suicidal and would feel alone and unwanted - but that's what men deal with most of their lives.

Men don't need 10 compliments a day, or even a month - I think most men wouldn't even know what to do and would feel uncomfortable with even a fraction of that amount - but, yeah, a sincere compliment from a woman could easily be among the best moments in the YEAR of a lot of men. Men are kind of like a cactus - a little water goes a very long way, and can sustain us for a very long time. We don't need, and certainly don't expect tons of compliments, but a few here and there would be really nice and really appreciated.

Lliam · Accepted Answer

Complements are always nice. I think everyone loves complements, whether they admit it or not.

Being admired by friends feels great.

I love being complemented for my accomplishments. It actually makes me thrive and work harder. One example is the pride in being applauded and praised for a musical performance. I can often surprise myself and do things I didn't even know I could do when people think I'm great at something. It applies to other things, too. Just being complemented for doing something well feels good.

Being admired by women is a wonderful feeling.

It is super gratifying as a man to be adored by a female partner/lover. It makes me feel 10 feet tall. It makes me want to be the best I can be. And if she orgasms and acts like I am a sexual god in bed, I work herder to please her and, again, can perform better than I even knew possible.

On the other hand without praise and admiration, I lose motivation and enthusiasm. It can make life feel like a grind.

Smoke-n-Growls · Accepted Answer

Oh yeah.

Men don't get compliments nearly often enough. They're often only given criticisms or platitudes.

If you notice a quality or trait - or something you know the guy has put effort into (like hair or fashion) - then compliment it specifically and genuinely.

Be careful, because some men will take this as flirting, but most men will just be so glad to be seen.

Chiarac2003 · Accepted Answer

I think yes.
My boyfriend requested that any day we are together… that I give him at least one compliment. And he has punished me for disobeying that rule. I do get rewarded if I say something that really makes him feel good. So it def goes both ways.

Anonymous · Answer

Sure, it’s extremely rare. I’ve never really received a compliment from a girl before. This one time a girl who had a boyfriend said I was intelligent. But that’s about it. It wasn’t flirty. I definitely don’t think I’ve ever received a compliment intended to be flirty before. So if a girl compliments me then it seems natural to come to a conclusion that she’s interested in me.

And I think this is consistent for most guys. It’s just too rare to the point where a girl complimenting you must be into you.

It’s more than just compliments they’re starved for, it’s the underlying foundations of that: It’s connection and affection. You could compliment all men everywhere more to get them used to it, such that they don’t come to the conclusion that there’s interest, but even then they’re still going to be more likely to develop a crush or interest in girls complementing them anyway, because they’re starved for interest and relationships: connection and affection. And I don’t think there’s a way to fix that. How is would society get women to be interested in men to the same extent that men are interested in women? No clue. Insane prospect.

Men would need to live their lives receiving the same level (or greater) of interest as they themselves hold — like women typically do. Gay guys can probably live like that too. But for normal straight guys, I don’t think they get there. After years of happy marriage maybe, but that’s obviously after meeting and succeeding with a girl and everything, so it doesn’t in anyway touch on the problem.

Tomcat68 · Answer

I believe guys do get less attention and complements but when they do it tends to be genuine. Women may get more complements but very often they are not genuine or even sometimes done in a way that makes her uncomfortable. I believe men are complemented less because it is riskier for women to do so. My wife had a guy she worked with who is kinda awkward. She tried to be nice to him and gave him a compliment about the color of his shirt. He proceeded to start stalking her… quite literally… he starting waiting outside for her to walk out every day and once walked up behind her at her desk and started playing with her hair. What made it even worse was that many of her coworkers (male and female) teased her about how infatuated he was with her. Oh… and he is married with 3 kids. She went to HR and the guy was reprimanded. She didn’t tell me about it until after she went to HR because she knew how angry I would be. A few bad men are making women reluctant to give complements.

N192K001 · Answer

That depends. Some sudden, unexpected sincere complements  have caught me by surprise, and… Well, I could not stop smiling from ear to ear.  Yes, those can get addicting  (and they are memorable),  but… Complements  can be just  out of politeness ,  too many ,  routine ,  just words ,  tools of manipulation , and/or  back-handed insults . Hence, they can (generally) be treated as just any other words.  With those, I can do with or without.

AndyFo · Answer

I barely know what to do with compliments none the less getting them all the time. I mean it could be my mindset but iv always been a person who does good and lets someone else have the glory, the event itself is what makes me feel good not the adulation that comes with it. Compliments for me tend to create awkward situations unless its from someone who I know and can properly talk to. MrOracle said it the best, men do go through life not being complimented half as much as the opposite gender and a lot of men get used to that if not at the same time depend on it. I will admit though, a sincere compliment here and there does make me feel really good.

Anonymous · Answer

This is hard to answer and also depends on the compliments. What is definitely true is we rarely get ANY ever! But also as guys (every guy is different also, just like women), some like it more than others, but many guys don't "need' them per say either. Personally I'd like compliments, especially from the opposite sex, but not general ones. Not that they aren't nice to get, it's just sometimes like "yeah, ok, whatever". But like if a woman thinks I'm sexy, I'd love to HEAR that. Or hot, attractive. Look good.

ArchivalMars2 · Answer

I wouldn't say men are hungry for them exactly, but I can tell you that a lot of men don't get compliments very often. When they do believe me they appreciate them and I'd even say that sometimes they even remember them too. Most men rarely get compliments except for that small percentage that just either hit the genetic jackpot and just look good.

Bluemax · Answer

I concur with @MrOracle, but to that I would add that I conducted a poll on GAG. Somewhere above 60% of all the women polled said they receive compliments about their appearance daily or at least weekly. Somewhere about 60% of the men polled said they receive compliments about their appearance less than once a month or less than once a year.

This generally comports with what I've observed in real life, too.

Sun_Kim-Ai · Answer

No, and as a matter of fact I'm training myself to never accept nor consider myself worthy of other people's compliments.
Acceptance would lead to satisfaction, satisfaction would lead to complacency, complacency would lead to laziness, and laziness would lead to perdition.
This is why I constantly pen self-criticism letters and encourage others to do so.

TCredo · Answer

I will always welcome and value a sincere compliment but I would not say I am hungry for them... and certainly not for insincere ones :)

P. S. In my feed I saw: Apple1996 just asked a new question "Is it true that guys are hungry for..." - and I will admit I thought when I got to the question it would be "Is it true that guys are hungry for eating pussy?" lol... goes to tell you a) where my mind is currently and b) where my mind goes with you lol :)

Guanfei · Answer

Of course. We basically don't get any. Any genuine compliment I mean.
Sure, we get some "polite" compliments, but they aren't genuine, and mean nothing.
Last real compliment I got was probably a decade ago, a girl told me I had a nice voice. And that's about it.

Adventurous97 · Answer

I think everyone likes compliments, but I don’t think guys crave them more than girls. I think it just depends on the person and how insecure they are, or how much they need validation and approval for their actions. If anything, I think girls require more compliments because girls, generally speaking, tend to be more sensitive and emotional in that way. Not all girls though.

TransAm85 · Answer

Yes! My husband adores his goddaughter coming and giving him admiration.. sometimes I wonder if they're fucking. She's about 22-23 .. I understand I should compliment my husband for his hard work, but I am used to criticism/negativity from my mother so I feel he's gna think manipulation tactics when I compliment him!

Yucy_Gluttony · Answer

I don't think it's true because I don't see guys posting in the How do I look to show off 🤔 HOWEVERRRR they may not get compliments often, so they will be happy if you do give them one. TURN THEM INTO A PIKACHU!

FictionalCharacter · Answer

Guys love compliments but never give back in return

The_Shadow_Dweller · Answer

I personally do not expect any kind of compliment in certain things where I know that I am good. But in other areas, I accept the validation. If it is bad, then also I accept, but I just see if the criticism is really informative or not.

Anonymous · Answer

If you complimented me on my dick giving skills I’d be on cloud 9 lol not really, I don’t think this really applies to men. We’re not going to reject it but we’re not going to really cry about it either if our girlfriends don’t compliment us on our haircut, shaved, etc. I could care less.

Anonymous · Answer

Not if they're disingenuous.
Who doesn't like a genuine compliment? Hungry? I wouldn't go that far. As a guy you're kind of used to NOT receiving them unless the person giving them has an ulterior motive. So when I'm complimented I'm usually saying to myself, "ok, what's their angle". Lol

meetkitty123 · Answer

I don't think this is a guy thing. Everyone appreciates a compliment now and then as long as its genuine. Now one cares for false flattering.

Mangospacho · Answer

I just don’t want to ask for compliments - I want my wife to know when I need a compliment and give me a compliment when I’m hungry for one and not when I ask for one. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

ArtemisSilver · Answer

No, but an honest compliment is rarely given to men, so it's memorable. Unfortunately my thought process when complimented is that I'm about to have someone try to swindle me.

NathanDavis · Answer

I really don't know about others, but not me... and I do get compliments often enough, for various reasons... it is not something that I make a big deal about, I just appreciate it when it is genuine

crossdressingrihno · Answer

We love and hate being complimented It can certainly make their day but theirs also the fact some of us have no clue what to do with compliments *myself included*

Sarahr123 · Answer

Insecure men and women are hungry for attention and compliments. Secure ones do not care for sexual/looks based compliments as they’re secure in themselves and not thirsty. People who are hungry for compliments are very likely to cheat on you.

Jamie05rhs · Answer

No. We just want affirmation from the one person that we care about. But it doesn't have to be a lot, and it doesn't have to be all the time. Just say what's on your mind when you feel it. Don't hold it in. That's all we ask.

JSmuve · Answer

Maybe some guys when they're younger. I never really got any compliments growing up so now on the odd occasion that I do, they don't register and I'm indifferent to them. I'm not hungry for them. I just don't have appetite to care anymore.

hahahmm · Answer

I'm a traditional type guy & have never been 'hungry' for compliments. As it happens based on how I live my life and run stuff I get compliments about that stuff. Maybe not the kind of compliment you had in mind tho.

Crafteroon · Answer

Being hungry for compliments is based on the personality of the individual. Men receiving less compliments on average is just statistics, so not being prepared to receive one can be more visible on men. Doesn't mean they are hungry for it.

ShadezMcgee · Answer

I wouldn't say men are hungry for them, but you better believe when we get them that we hold onto them and save them to our memory.

ChiTownLov · Answer

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣God no. You've been on this site long enough to know that more females come on here for validation than men do.

SimpleGuy95 · Answer

I'd say true though many don't want to admit it. Many guys think of themselves as problem solvers so they wanna do something for their women.
If they don't get something in return chances are that they are less willing to do it the next times.

Caunsos · Answer

I think it is more ( and it probably the same for women) the is a lot expected of us by so many different things ( work, society, family, friends, community) that getting acknowledgement of our efforts comes to few and far between.

UniquelyBasic · Answer

No, I kinda hate compliments. They make me feel awkward but I also appreciate it though. Im usually okay with a compliment or two but dont over do it.

Dat-Alpha-Lion · Answer

Absolutely ducking yes. Not even joking we’re just conditioned to bottle our emotions or we’re not “being a man.”

KrisPW · Answer

I would see my brothers come home on cloud 9 from just a compliment, and it would last for days. It took me a while to realize that they weren't getting them like I was. I try to do better.

Mickbert · Answer

It’s soooooo rare for a guy to get a compliment from a girl that when they do get one, they misinterpret the comment into thinking a girl is interested in them.

CallmeTheKnight · Answer

They're nice to receive but we are all not alike. Some guys want validation or attention like many women do and some guys could care less about a compliment.

Anonymous · Answer

I would say it's true.. Women in our society are taught to expect it.. Men are taught that no matter what we do we don't deserve it.

MCheetah · Answer

Yes. Women literally never compliment me, on anything. And apparently, this is the case for most men.

Adam1978 · Answer

No we are so used to not get any that we don't hunger for them.

spartan55 · Answer

Rarely if ever do guys get compliments. As far as being hungry for them? You learn to deal with it.

DarkWinterNights · Answer

Not particularly. Compliments make me uncomfortable. Especially from strangers, I’m always expecting them to be the butt of some joke.

bigpauly · Answer

Hmm maybe. It always feels great and I always appreciate them when I get them but think I am just fine if they don’t come my way.

TheMajesticKing777 · Answer

I stopped caring about compliments when I became secure

Impalitteri · Answer

I think most men don't really care. Yeah, it's nice to get a compliment once in a while but I think appreciation is more desired by men.

Massageman · Answer

Do we appreciate them? Of course. Just not ones that are given just to be gratuitous.  But I am not "hungry" for them.

Still-alive · Answer

not hungry but i appreciate them of course i like sex more than compliments :P

ImNoOne111 · Answer

I almost never take compliments serious. And I never needed anyone's approval, I do what I think is right

Xoirwinkan · Answer

Its true men rarely get compliments but hungry is a false description because guys just accept how it is. Grateful is more like it since guys can often count the compliments they've gotten on one hand and can remember most of them.

dolemite89 · Answer

it’s nice to get them sometimes if they’re genuine but for the most part i’m usually skeptical of when girls give them cuz it’s usually just so that you give them a compliment back.

LaFemmeFatale_1 · Answer

They don’t usually hear it, so you can control them easily by choosing the right compliments.

Anonymous · Answer

some at least overreact to it.. maybe because they get so few. But I tried several times giving a small compliment and then it seems like they feel sure I am very into them.

annabananna · Answer

Well, I just told my husband that he looks dashingly handsome and he just laughed.

Friendlybro79 · Answer

Some people are hungry for compliments. Not all. Doesn't matter if you're man or woman.

turnpost · Answer

Honestly giving a compliment is sort of hard.  Id rather just not be patronized or dissed. The compliments should come from a place emotional expression.

EssenceOfLight · Answer

Depend who gives them. Compliments of women who just want to fuck me aren't more than flattery. A compliment from someone I trust and admire feels much better.

KrakenAttackin · Answer

Hungry is the wrong term. Guys almost never get compliments of any kind so it is a nice surprise when we do get a sincere compliment.

Juxtapose · Answer

Agonizingly so but nobody's going to give a shit that I want compliments. People have their own problems and only people who are my friends are going to give a shit about me 🤷‍♂️

Derpixon · Answer

We're not really hungry for them, we just don't get none at all. We'll appreciate the compliment and most of us guys would care less if don't get none.

Wise4myage · Answer

Its true for guys who are desperate and who need constant reassurance.

Deserter · Answer

Yes, women always like to say they don't give compliments often to guys cause then we'll think they're into us. But that only happens case you never compliment us, we need love too

Is it true that guys are hungry for compliments?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Is it true that guys are hungry for compliments?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.