Stop Humblebragging Now!
by Miki SaxonHumblebragging (a brag veiled in a complaint, so as to sound less blatantly like a brag) has to be near the top of today’s more annoying trends.
It’s not really new; I’ve heard similar phrasing for decades, but it was much more rare.
It’s common now, but if you indulge you’ll do yourself more harm than good.
Humblebragging runs rampant on Twitter, but it turns out to be a lousy self-promotion tactic, especially in business situations such as job interviews… Research shows that when given the choice to brag or to humblebrag, it’s better to straight-out brag.
The research described is interesting, because it’s easy to remember being on the receiving end of similar situations allowing you to compare your own reactions to those in the study.
Humblebragging is a close relative of hints that are usually in the form of a poor-me complaint.
We’ve all been on the receiving end of “I don’t know how I can…” which practically forces an “I will help…” response.
An extended family aunt of mine was a past master of this approach, so I learned early on to recognize the words for what they were — manipulation.
Both humblebrags and hints annoy because they are inauthentic and sneaky.
But there is humor to be found when you realize that the worst practitioners are those most offended when others do it.
Flickr image credit: Area 224