Humblebragging is notoriously obnoxious.
But sometimes, it feels necessary.
People see through this.
Its better to either be honest about your bragging or be open about your weaknesses.
With some colleagues, Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino conducted research on humblebragging.
Over three-quarters of subjects answered by trying to reframe a positive statement as a negative onebetter known ashumblebragging.
The researchers hired assistants to evaluate subjects answers.
In follow-up studies, the researchers found that its not just potential employers who are put off by this.
Gino says those studies show people actually prefer braggers and complainers to humblebraggers.
We believe that humblebragging will be more effective than simply bragging, when, in fact, it backfires.
The old be yourself adage might be boring and cliche, but these studies suggest its true.
Sure, weve talked about howbeing yourself can backfireif you have personality quirks.
But that doesnt mean you should be phony, eitherwe suggest taking a deeper look at those quirks.
The point is, people seem to prefer authenticity, even if that authenticity is negative.
To read more about this, head over to the link below.
The Right Way to Brag about Yourself| HBR
Photo bySamuel Mann.
