One may be humble out of pride.

Modesty can be a way of protecting your standing rather than setting it aside. Refusing praise, downplaying an achievement, insisting you are no good at something: all of these can be manoeuvres to control how you are seen, which is exactly what pride wants. The giveaway is that the humility needs an audience.

When you deflect a compliment this week, notice what you do next. If you are waiting for the other person to insist, the modesty was a move. Try saying thank you and stopping there, and see how uncomfortable that turns out to be.