You're too kind : a brief history of flattery by Stengel, Richard ISBN 9780684854922, 0684854929 instant download

You're too kind : a brief history of flattery by Stengel, Richard ISBN 9780684854922, 0684854929 instant download

\"A Touchstone book.\", Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-296) and index, Flattery began with chimpanzees, who groom each other all day long. In fact, flattery is an adaptive behavior that has helped us survive since prehistoric times. Flattery is strategic praise, and to illustrate its myriad forms, journalist Stengel takes us on a witty, idiosyncratic tour, from chimps to the Old Testament to the troubadour poets of the Middle Ages, all the way through Dale Carnegie and Monica Lewinsky. Flattery thrives in hierarchical settings like royal courts or Fortune 500 boardrooms, and it flows both upward and downward. Studies show it works best on those who already have high opinions of themselves. Stengel sees public flattery as an epidemic in our society, and private praise as being all too scarce. Most often, though, flattery these days is just a harmless deception, a victimless crime that often ends up making both the giver and the receiver feel a little better. In short, flattery works.--From publisher description