My experience has been almost the exact opposite - I feel that I _receive_ too many compliments, and as such they always come across as trite, even if genuine,

My experience has been almost the exact opposite - I feel that I _receive_ too many compliments, and as such they always come across as trite, even if genuine, which in turn is discomforting rather than empowering. Who's given the compliment is, of course, a key factor. If it's a critical coworker, I'll be empowered by that. If it's a yes-person coworker, it's likely trite. If it's a friend who I've just power-sanded a deck for, it's appreciated. If it's a family member complimenting me on a sandwich (it happened recently!), it's uncomfortable.