In celebration of World Kindness Day (Monday 13 November) a new study has delved into the kindness of Brits to reveal where in the UK is home to the kindest and most complimentary people – and surprisingly, it’s not a city in the north of England.

When asked where is home to the most kind and complimentary people in the UK, the majority vote (10%) claimed that London held this title, which may come as a surprise to those who subscribe to the theory that ‘it’s much friendlier up north.’

Liverpool and Manchester came in joint second place with respondents claiming that Scousers and Mancunians are the kindest, with Newcastle coming in third championing Geordies as the kindest bunch.

Despite perceptions of where the most kind and complimentary Brits may live, the study revealed that Geordies are both the most complimented and complimentary as only 3% have never given a compliment and only 5% have never received a compliment – both the lowest in the UK.

UK cities most likely to have never given/received a compliment

The study, conducted by ScS, the sofa and carpet specialists, revealed that Sheffield is home to those most reluctant to give a compliment with 18% claiming to have never given a compliment to another person, followed by Manchester and Cardiff (15% respectively), Southampton (14%) and then Brighton, Birmingham and Norwich tied with 12% having never spoken a complimentary word to another person.

When it comes to the home of those most likely to have never received a compliment, one in five (20%) of those in Norwich claim to have never been on the receiving end of a compliment – making it the home to the least complimented people in the UK.

Sheffield and Manchester are the joint second least complimented Brits (16%), with Cardiff taking third place (15%) and 14% of Birmingham and Belfast residents have also never been on the receiving end of a complimentary word.

Brits who can’t take a compliment

When it comes to the cities of the UK who just can’t take a compliment, Sheffield takes the top spot with almost a quarter (23%) of residents claiming to be unable to accept when someone compliments them.

The most common emotions associated with well intentioned compliments are happiness (43%), confidence (22%) and pride (21%) although in true British fashion 20% feel awkward, 17% feel embarrassed and 5% of Brits panic in the face of a compliment.

These feelings are exacerbated for certain cities in the UK with almost a third of those in Liverpool feeling awkward and another third of those in Southampton feeling embarrassed.

The neurological power of a compliment

To understand the true power of kindness, ScS enlisted Dr Ritika Suk Birah, HCPC Accredited Consultant Counselling Psychologist to shed a little light into what goes on in our brains when we receive a compliment. Dr Ritika said;

“When we smile and compliment each other it can have several beneficial effects on our self-esteem and overall well-being. Compliments serve as external validation reaffirming our sense of self-worth and competence.

“We can use neuroscience to understand that compliments ignite brain regions associated with reward and positive self-perception, such as the striatum and medial prefrontal cortex.

“These neural activities trigger the release of endorphins and serotonin, two neurotransmitters known for their role in fostering feelings of joy, contentment and emotional well-being.

“Receiving compliments can create a psychological positive feedback loop. When we feel good about ourselves, we are more likely to engage in positive behaviours, such as setting and achieving goals, which, in turn, reinforces our self-esteem.

“The act of giving compliments constructs a culture of mutual appreciation and respect, we strengthen social bonds and nurture positive interpersonal relationships.

“Compliments have transformative power in creating happiness, improving our overall sense of wellbeing which can lead to a more positive and emotionally fulfilling social environment.”

Harnessing the positive power of compliments and in order to spread a little kindness on World Kindness Day, ScS have installed the World’s First Complimentary Sofa in London Kings Cross train station for today only, where it will be showering commuters with words of encouragement and compliments during morning and afternoon rush hour periods.

Complimentary flowers will also be on hand for Londoners and commuters alike to either keep for themselves or pass on to someone they want to spread some kindness to this World Kindness Day.

Phil Geary, chief marketing and digital officer at ScS said; “As sofas are one of the key sources of relaxation and comfort in our homes, especially in the darker winter months, we wanted to bring those positive feelings to life in a public space and spread some joy and happiness on World Kindness Day.

“We also know that finding unexpected money in the sofa can also result in a quick hit of endorphins so we have decided to surprise five lucky customers with a refund of their sofa purchase if they buy in any of our stores today – in the hope we can put some smiles on faces in the run up to Christmas.”

To spread a little kindness outside of London, ScS will be giving five lucky customers the chance to win their order back to the value of £2,000*. To be in with the chance of having your sofa refunded, simply make a purchase in any of ScS’ 100 stores today (Monday 13th November).

For more details on the exact model of the complimentary sofa, or to see the terms and conditions, head over to the ScS website – scs.co.uk.