Do compliments make people lazy? Behavioral science suggests: sometimes, but only if you mistime them.
📌 TL;DR
- Do compliments make people lazy? Sometimes, depending on timing.
- Immediate praise after task completion can trigger a “goal achieved” mindset.
- This can lead to coasting, a temporary reduction in effort.
- The same compliment, given before the next task, can increase performance.
- The key variable is not what you say, but when you say it.
Do compliments make people lazy?
In many workplaces, managers hesitate to give praise. Not because they fail to appreciate good work, but because they fear it will reduce motivation.
“If I compliment them now, they’ll relax.”
“I don’t want them to think they’re finished.”
Research suggests that this concern is not entirely irrational. However, the underlying mechanism is more precise than the simple claim that praise reduces performance.
The decisive factor is timing.
The hidden risk of immediate positive feedback
Research by Nils Jostmann and Eddie Brummelman shows that praise can reduce subsequent effort when it is delivered immediately after a task is completed.
From a self-regulation perspective, positive feedback can signal that a goal has been achieved. Once a goal feels closed, people naturally shift attention and energy toward other priorities.
Psychologists refer to this temporary dip in effort as coasting. It occurs when perceived progress lowers the urgency to continue investing energy in the same domain.
In that moment, praise can function as a psychological full stop.
How was this studied?
The researchers conducted a series of controlled laboratory experiments. Participants worked on performance-based tasks that required sustained effort across multiple rounds.
After completing an initial task, some participants received positive feedback immediately. Others received the same feedback later, when they were preparing to begin a new task. The wording of the compliment remained identical. Only its timing differed.
The researchers then measured performance on the subsequent task. Across experiments, a consistent pattern emerged. Immediate praise slightly reduced later performance, whereas delayed praise maintained or even increased it.
Because timing was the only manipulated factor, the results provide strong evidence that when praise is delivered shapes how people allocate effort afterward.
The opposite effect: praise as fuel
When praise was delivered during the transition into a new task, the effect reversed.
Instead of signaling completion, the feedback reinforced competence and forward movement. Participants sustained focus and, in some cases, improved their performance.
In this context, praise no longer meant “you are done.” It meant “you are capable, continue.”
This aligns with action-control theory. Feedback influences how people interpret goal status. If a goal feels finished, effort declines. If a new goal is salient, positive feedback strengthens commitment.
Why timing changes everything
Compliments are not merely emotional gestures. They are signals that influence self-regulation.
They shape how people interpret:
- Progress
- Goal completion
- Competence
- Effort allocation
If praise signals closure, urgency decreases. If praise aligns with forward momentum, motivation increases.
What this means in practice
Praise works best when it strengthens momentum rather than signals an endpoint.
Practical implications:
- Connect praise to the next step.
- Deliver compliments during transitions.
- Reinforce ongoing effort rather than finality.
- Avoid framing praise as a closing statement if continued performance matters.
For example, instead of saying, “Great job, that’s done,” you might say, “Great job. Let’s build on this in the next phase.”
So, do compliments make people lazy?
They can, if they signal completion.
But when timed well, compliments do the opposite. They energize, focus attention, and sustain effort.
The lesson is not to withhold praise. It is to use it deliberately.
📚 References
- Jostmann, N. B., & Brummelman, E. (2025). Can delaying positive feedback prevent performance drops? An action control perspective on coasting. Motivation Science.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/mot0000416
