National Say Something Nice Day is on Tuesday, June 1, 2027, and it falls on June 1 every year. It’s a simple challenge: offer a sincere compliment, a word of thanks or some encouragement to the people around you. It costs nothing and often means more than you expect.
When Is National Say Something Nice Day?
It’s always June 1. Some churches also mark Say Something Nice Sunday on the first Sunday in June. It’s an unofficial day, not a federal holiday.
Who Started Say Something Nice Day?
It began in Charleston, South Carolina, with writer Mitch Carnell. In 2005, he volunteered at an inner-city middle school, where a principal told students, “If you want to do well this year, just be nice.”
That line inspired Carnell’s booklet Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter, the Baptist Courier reports. The city of North Charleston bought copies for its employees.
Mayor Keith Summey then declared the first Say Something Nice Day on June 1, 2006. Charleston’s First Baptist Church later called for a yearly Say Something Nice Sunday in June, and the idea spread.
Why Say Something Nice?
Because compliments land better than we think. Cornell social psychologist Vanessa Bohns and a colleague asked people to compliment strangers, then surveyed both sides.
Givers underestimated how good the compliments made recipients feel. They also overestimated how awkward it would be. “In the moment, we tend to forget how good a simple, even awkwardly delivered, compliment will make another person feel,” Bohns said.
Givers ended up in a better mood, too. The study appeared in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
How to Celebrate National Say Something Nice Day
- Be specific: “Your presentation made the budget easy to follow” beats “nice job.”
- Compliment effort, not just looks: praise someone’s patience, creativity or follow-through.
- Thank a service worker: tell a cashier, bus driver or nurse what they did well.
- Tell a manager: pass along praise about a coworker to their boss.
- Write it down: leave a sticky note on a coworker’s desk or in a child’s lunch box.
- Post something positive: leave a kind review for a small business you love.
- Start at home: tell a family member something you appreciate about them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a good compliment for a coworker?
Name a specific action and its effect: “Your quick reply saved our deadline.” Specific praise feels sincere and is easier to accept.
What if a compliment feels awkward?
Say it anyway. Research by Vanessa Bohns found people overestimate how awkward compliments will be and underestimate how much they’re appreciated.
Is Say Something Nice Sunday different?
It’s the church version, held on the first Sunday in June. The South Carolina Baptist Convention backed the idea in 2007.