Generation Y values praise, even more than alcohol and sex, according to researchers from Ohio State University and the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
In the study, college students were asked to rate how much they liked and wanted a bunch of pleasant and desirable activities--such as seeing a best friend, eating a favorite food, having sex, getting a good grade, drinking alcohol, getting a pay check and receiving a compliment.
The self-esteem boosting activities such as receiving a compliment or getting a good grade trumped all the other pleasant things in the minds of the college student participants.
The researchers continued the study with qualitative exercises. In one exercise students took a test that measured how smart they were. After the tests were scored, the students were told if they waited another 10 minutes, the test would be rescored using an algorithm that usually yielded higher results.
The students who valued self-esteem were more likely to stay to get a new score.
The researchers concluded that Generation Y craves self-esteem boosts a “little too much” and cautioned against the collective narcissistic attitude of Millennials.
I don’t agree.
These findings are certainly understandable for a generation who got an award just for participating and were overtly adored by their Baby Boomer parents. Boomers made the self-help industry, an industry entirely focused on making people feel better about themselves, the huge business that it is today. It only makes sense that deep-rooted interest was passed onto their children.
Additionally, considering the non-praising activities reported on the survey, especially alcohol and eating, it certainly isn’t bad that Millennials valued praise more. Besides, if the study participants were all college students, some of them likely weren’t of drinking age anyway.
Furthermore, the exercise where students were willing to wait to receive a better test score actually defies the “entitled” label so frequently assigned to Millennials. The premise of entitlement is that good things are simply deserved and working for something, or investing oneself, is not necessary. In the simplistic exercise of this research, the Gen Y students were willing to invest their own time to get a better score. That doesn’t really fit the definition of an entitled group.
It seems like appreciating praise is a healthier option for young people. I fail to see why that’s a bad thing for a generation just getting ready to enter the toughest job market since World War II.
So, Millennials like praise. So what? Doesn’t everyone appreciate genuine compliments now and again?
Yes, I think so.
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