Psychology’s Julie Exline discusses tradeoffs of being a people-pleaser

Aiming to please does you no favors

The Plain Dealer: Saying “no” can be difficult for people-pleasers, whether they’re asked to take on additional work or just eat a little bit more. “Any personality trait has its tradeoffs,” said Julie Exline, associate professor of psychology. “People are going to like a people-pleaser and feel comfortable around them, and that’s good. The problem is if you, the people-pleaser, end up feeling that you have to cave in and that you have not been true to yourself. You may later be angry at yourself and regret your actions.”