What it is
Using praise to secure agreement rather than giving reasons.
In the wild
A smart person like you will obviously agree.
How to answer it
Take the compliment, then ask for the argument.
Emotional pressure
Appeal to flattery
Also called Apple polishing
In depth
Origin and naming
Also called apple polishing or the appeal to pride, sometimes given the Latin 'argumentum ad superbiam'. Rhetoric manuals have long warned that praise slipped in before a request launders the request into something that feels earned.
More places it shows up
You've got the best eye for copy on this team — proofread my resignation email, and tell me it's not the smartest exit anyone's written.
Only a truly sophisticated investor understands this opportunity; shall I put you down for the premium tier?
A reviewer as fair-minded as you will obviously see my paper deserves acceptance, whatever the formal criteria say.
Dad, you always taught me generosity is a virtue — so lending me money again is really just you living your values.
How to spot it
- Notice when the compliment lands one beat before the request, never after.
- Notice when disagreement is framed as falling short of a quality you were just told you have.
- Notice when your identity is doing the work that evidence should be doing.