Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt, not swallowed.

Praise is pleasant and mostly harmless so long as it stays at the surface. Enjoy it, thank the person, and let it pass. The damage starts when you take it in as information about who you are, because then you begin working for more of it. Flattery is also cheap to give, which means the people offering most of it may be telling you least.

When a compliment lands, notice whether you want to ask a follow-up question. That small hunger is the signal worth watching. Keep one or two people who will tell you the unflattering half, and weigh what they say more heavily than the warm words.