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I always look for opportunities to compliment others naturally. Going too far is not good, as it comes off as smarmy, but saying things honestly when it's appropriate makes me feel good. When giving compliments, I try not to KTHZX TS XZUJWƳHNFQ RFYYJWX QNPJ FUUJFWFSHJ unless I know the person well. I've noticed that people here in Japan have no problem with this, much to my consternation. For example, I've gotten comments like, "Oh, you have gained weight since we last met!" Or, "Oh, have you lost weight?" There seems to be no problem with saying this here in Japan, but it drives me crazy. I've had to adjust to it over the years. $PHULFDQ PDOH SURIHVVRU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 6 I receive compliments from Japanese people a lot but for some reason I don't feel they are sincere. I don't know if that is because I don't agree with their assessment of my skills, actions or appearance, or if it is because I am personally unable to accept compliments. In Britain we are not good at accepting compliments. We always try to downplay them. %ULWLVK IHPDOH DXWKRU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 7 My kids and I once went to the house of my daughter's school friend. While we were there, the girl's parents kept saying how pretty my daughter was, and then they said, about their own daughter, while she was present, "Not like her, she looks like an old shoe". And the daughter agreed with them! She said "I do, I look like an old shoe." And she didn't, of course, she was actually very pretty. It’s like the aversion to bragging goes to the other extreme. I never hear anyone say that their child plays a sport well, or the piano or anything like that. &DQDGLDQ IHPDOH KRPHPDNHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 8 I live in Japan, and sometimes I am not sure whether people really mean what they say when complimenting others. Also, I feel it’s common for Japanese people to compliment my Japanese language ability, even if I say nothing but "Hi." They don’t mean to be rude, but sometimes I feel they are too quick to compliment. It’s like if they aren’t really thinking about me, it’s just a social ritual. +XQJDULDQ IHPDOH UHVHDUFK VWXGHQW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 9 When I am complimented, I try to be humble and turn it into a laugh by making a joke. In Australia and the U.S., I have the impression that many people say "thank you" when they receive a compliment. I don’t think that’s very common in Japan. -DSDQHVH PDOH VDOHVSHUVRQ KDV OLYHG LQ $XVWUDOLD DQG WKH 8$( 10 When I was working in Belgium, I got the impression that people who only talked about themselves and people associated with them were not \JQQ WJHJN[JI . I myself felt more comfortable with Belgian colleagues who were more reserved in the way they spoke about themselves. -DSDQHVH IHPDOH FDUHHU FRXQVHORU KDV OLYHG LQ )UDQFH DQG 0RURFFR 11 I would say that I am rather modest when introducing myself. .S YMJ :8 . ƳSI XTRJ UJTUQJ quite extreme in how much they show of themselves. To some extent, it is nice to know some things about others, but . ƳSI UJTUQJ \MT constantly brag about themselves quite annoying. -DSDQHVH PDOH VWXGHQW KDV OLYHG LQ WKH 86 12

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Write a paragraph on the topic of introducing yourself. Include your opinions and reactions to the cultural patterns you found in these survey responses.

EXPRESSION

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