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It is well attested that teasing is a vehicle for criticising others which is prototypically accomplished through diminishing, ridiculing or denigrating the target. In this paper, we examine a form of teasing that occurs through elevating others, or what we term "jocular flattery". Our study focuses on instances of jocular flattery in a context that has largely been neglected, namely, multi-party, instant messaging interaction in (Mandarin) Chinese, thereby also contributing to the growing body of work on teasing across different linguistic and sociocultural contexts. We examine how jocular flattery is interactionally accomplished in multi-party chat groups, focusing, in particular, on what occasions jocular flattery, and how the target and audience respond to it. We suggest that jocular flattery is a vehicle for delivering mild reproaches of the target for "overdone", "unfulfilled" or "out-of-place" actions, as well as a vehicle for taunting the target for the amusement of the group. However, we also propose that due to the cultural value traditionally placed on denigrating self and elevating other, jocular flattery is also a vehicle for accomplishing interactional rapport in the Chinese sociocultural context. • Jocular flattery is a form of teasing through elevating others. • It has not been studied in its own right. • It may be occasioned by overdone or unfulfilled or "out-of-place" actions. • It involves both transgressions and a flatterable. • It contributes to accomplishing interactional rapport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flattery is a social phenomenon that treads a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable social behavior and brings forward the strategic element of language use. Although flattery has been studied in other areas of the social sciences (namely marketing and social psychology), pragmatic literature has not addressed the phenomenon, despite its potential to inform the interpretive process participants engage in when evaluating politeness strategies in interactions. This study aims to understand what flattery is by examining its perception and uses in a specific speech community – native Hebrew speakers in Israel. A meta-pragmatic methodology was used to collect two complementary corpora: solicited reports of flattery events for an interpersonal level analysis, and public flattery events from a large online database for a societal level analysis. Findings indicate how participants judge an action to be flattery, what (verbal) acts count as flattery, and the functions of flattery in interactions. Ultimately, a definition is offered against the backdrop of flattery being perceived as the dark side of sociability. • A meta-pragmatic methodology for analyzing an interpretive construct like flattery. • The functions of flattery are transactional, self-promotional and relational. • Flattery is not mere insincere praise, nor a conventionalized speech act. • Despite its perception as manipulative, it can be a solidarity enhancement tool. • Defined as marked communicative action, instrumently intended to be face-pleasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decades of research on job candidate ingratiation tactics, few studies have examined if hiring manager personality traits might influence the effectiveness of candidate tactics. Undergraduates (n = 254) played the role of a hiring manager in a low-fidelity simulation and completed a measure of non-clinical narcissism. Candidate flattery and qualifications were experimentally manipulated. Contrary to predictions, results showed that candidate flattery demonstrated strong negative effects on perceptions of candidate fit and the likelihood of being invited for an interview during preliminary recruitment stages. Although hiring manager narcissism was found to attenuate the negative effects of candidate flattery, these findings broadly suggest that jobseekers have more to lose than gain by flattering hiring managers. • Hiring manager personality influence effectiveness of ingratiation tactics. • Flattery showed negative effects on perception of fit and chances of advancing. • Narcissism may increase hiring manager's susceptibility to candidate flattery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]