Outside of professional setbacks, the inability to take a compliment can also affect you socially. "Someone who gives a compliment typically means it," says Dr. Wechsler. "So in deflecting it, it's a small insult to the complimenter." If you have nothing but negativity in response to nice things being said about you, then you run the risk of those around you abstaining from sending you affirmation, because they know it will turn into a pity party and ain't nobody got time for that.What's more troubling, researchers have long pointed out that a mother's self-image directly affects her daughter's . While most studies center around body image and eating disorders, it makes sense that if a daughter sees her mother deflect compliments with a negative response about herself (i.e., "I hate my [X]..." or "My [X] is so ugly"), then a daughter will learn to focus on what her perceived "flaws" are rather than recognize that "thank you" is the appropriate response to positive feedback.Says Dr. Wechsler, "I think it's helpful for women to talk to each other about how hard it is to take a compliment, and to call out good friends when they deflect compliments." By demonstrating that behavior, women have a greater chance of initiating the trickle-down effect to pass that positivity and self-confidence to their loved ones.So, let's keep that momentum moving forward. When someone compliments you — on anything from your cool new lipstick to your mad coding skills — look them straight in the eye, smile, and say, "Thank you so much." Or better yet, start adding more meaningful compliments to your interactions with friends — like telling them what a big heart they have or how you admire their honesty. The more women build up our self-confidence little by little, the more likely we are to recognize our true worth and potential. Then, maybe we can try tackling that whole " sorry " problem next.