The Compliment Club
"Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth." George W. Crane

The Compliment Club was started in the mid-20th century by noted psychologist George W. Crane, whose syndicated columns ran in hundreds of U.S. newspapers. Among the psychology classes Dr. Crane taught at Northwestern University was an evening section in Social Psychology, which met at the downtown Chicago campus. Most of the students were employed in Chicago department stores, offices or factories. When one student confided to Dr. Crane her expectation that the class would help her overcome her shyness and make new friends, he created the following assignment to encourage the class to use psychology at every opportunity. "You are to use your psychology every day either at home or at work or on the streetcars and buses. For the first month, your written assignment will be called the Compliment Club." "Every day you are to pay an honest compliment to each of three different persons. You can increase that number if you wish, but to qualify for a class grade, you must have complimented at least three people every day for 30 consecutive days." "Keep a record of those to whom you pay your three compliments. You need not give me their names, but list them as ‘Newsboy’ or ‘Streetcar conductor’ or ‘Sales clerk’." "And observe what they say in response to your compliment, for most people encounter praise so seldom that Emily Post hasn’t even told us how to receive compliments." "Some will blush prettily and murmur or gurgle. Others will quickly try to repay you by saying your hat or tie looks attractive, too." "Another type of person will laugh and tell you he knows you are just looking for a quarter. So keep an accurate record of how people acknowledge your compliments." "Then, at the end of the 30-day experiment, I want you to write a theme or paper on your experiences. Include the changes you have noted in the people around you, as well as your own altered outlook on life. This will be a month’s assignment and will carry college credit." Dr. Crane instructed his students to compliment not only friends, relatives and business associates, but also casual acquaintances and even strangers. He suggested that each evening they think over the list of prospects they might meet the next day, analyze their virtues, and plan – even rehearse – the sincere compliment they would pay. When asked by one student whether it would be dishonest to praise someone you did not like or respect, Dr, Crane replied "It is not insincerity when you compliment your enemy, for a compliment is an honest statement of praise for some objective trait or merit that deserves commendation. You will find that nobody is entirely devoid of merit or virtue, so try to take a detached view and analyze your companions for merits." Once a week Dr. Crane invited students to volunteer their most interesting experiences complimenting people. At the end of the month tally sheets and reports containing the following comments were turned in. "I was always shy and tongue-tied but the Compliment Club taught me to forget myself in trying to ferret out good things in the people around me. I became a social detective." "People almost invariably smiled when I paid them a compliment. They were more friendly to me afterwards, and often went out of their way to be nicer." "The greatest improvement is in myself. I have found that I can be happy in any social group. No longer do I shyly wait for other folks to talk to me. I have learned to initiate the conversation." "I look forward to meeting people so I can quickly analyze them for good points. Maybe they have a new hat or new frock, or beautiful teeth or a lovely complexion or artistic fingers or a melodious voice." The success of the class motivated Dr. Crane to write about the Compliment Club in his columns and it spread throughout the U.S. Parents started clubs with their families and business people introduced them at the office. Schools, religious institutions, and organizations set up groups that met regularly. From Psychology Applied by George W. Crane © 1960