A little salt makes sweet things taste sweeter. A little honesty makes compliments land better.

Contrast is what makes a flavor register. A little salt in something sweet makes the sweetness clearer, and a little honesty does that for praise, because unmixed flattery tastes like nothing after a while. If you say everything is great, your compliments carry no information. The friend whose praise means something is the one who also tells you when a thing is not working.

Make your next compliment specific and true rather than large. Name the actual thing somebody did well this week, and when you do not rate something, say so kindly rather than going quiet.