THE ECHO

by Sophia Waggoner

Within the span of one day, I was challenged to give 100 compliments. On a seven-period day, I needed to average around 14.3 compliments per period. This does not include track and rugby practice. The goal – aside from giving 100 compliments – was to record any noticeable responses.

For example, Compliment 3: I told a guy in my class that I was proud of him for getting an A+ on his math test, in response he raised his soda in the air, and we clinked drinks and drank them.

Compliment 11: I told a girl that she looked good, and she thanked me and said that she really needed some positivity.

Compliment 25: I told my friend that I liked her sweater, and she said she was wearing it because she couldn’t find anything in her closet, so her mom let her borrow it.

Overall, most people gave one of three common responses. Some people gave a simple thank you or thanks and a smile. This was the most common response and sometimes even accompanied by them giving me a compliment back.

Another large quantity of people were confused as to why I was complimenting them. This group of people typically gave me a confused look, and asked me if I was talking to them, or even in some cases gave me a rebuttal. For example, Compliment 8: I told a girl I liked her nail color, and while she said thanks, she looked confused and said that they were grown out and that she needed to redo them. The last response people gave was giving me a story to go with what I was complimenting.

Much like Compliment 25, Compliment 61: I told a boy who sat behind me that I liked his painting, and he explained what his painting was and what it represented.

In conclusion, I liked it when people would tell me something about what I complimented. I heard a few funny stories that I probably wouldn’t have heard if I didn’t compliment these people. I liked when people owned the compliment or were proud that I complimented them, like the first compliment I gave, when I told a girl that I liked her shirt, and she did a 360 so I could see all of it. I found these responses to be the most interesting.