Handling compliments in social life is part of conversation, and some people are awkward and handle this poorly. They deflect or dismiss compliments. For example, you compliment a woman on her apparel and she responds, "Oh, this color is all wrong for me." You compliment an employee or co-worker on an excellent report, and he says "I should have finished it sooner."  

 

It's a sign of emotional maturity to be able to accept compliments gracefully. However, I've found it's a skill that is not always learned when growing up. For various cultural reasons, some families think that complimenting their children will make them prideful and "give them a big head." So even if a child excels in some activity like sports or academics, parents don't give a  compliment on a job well done. As a result, those children don't learn to be comfortable receiving compliments.

 

(For example, Finnish-speaking people tend to be reserved about complimenting others while Italians are effusive.)

 

When someone gives you a genuine compliment, say something like "Thank you very much," or "I appreciate your saying that." Such a response is complementary (completes the exchange) to the compliment (praise.)

 

Even if someone gives you a less-than-genuine compliment (flattery), you can still be gracious and say "Thank you." Don't challenge the person by saying "You don't really mean that, do you?"