Compliments

I have a friend who says I have the “gift” of giving sincere compliments. She said that most people don’t take the time to compliment others on their work, a piece of clothing, a special talent,etc. When she first said this to me I laughed it off but over the years I’ve come to understand what she meant and in my observation I think that many people are literally starved for a sincere-I’m-not-trying to manipulate the situation-compliment. Please understand that I don’t make a concerted effort to try to extend compliments—in fact I’ve often hesitated because I don’t want to sound foolish or forward, but in the end when I see or hear something that strikes me as beautiful or special—I go ahead and name it. For example, the other day I finished a book  and I felt so blessed by this book that I sent a quick email to its author. Even though I truly thought this email was slipping into the ether  I needed to name the happiness that this work brought into my life.  Or another example—I will pass a stranger walking into a store and if it strikes me that they have a beautiful color on I will say, ” Wow, that is such a great color!” I’ve found that once I let go of the fear of sounding foolish, the compliment comes to my mind, I do a quick etiquette check and then I venture forth.
It’s amazing how many looks of gratitude along with happy smiles rise up from these occasions. So my question is this: Why do most of us hesitate to give a sincere compliment?