"Your butt looks really good!" - Why we value the opinion of strangers more than friends

I was at work yesterday when two of my colleagues complimented my derriere. It was quite spontaneous but they both seemed impressed and said that it looked really good; one of them even asked if I did squats to achieve my physique (does once two weeks ago count?). It made me blush a little as I am not used to that sort of attention but I found that I quite liked the compliments I was receiving. I don't particularly work out and while my boyfriend frequently tells me that my butt looks good, I find it hard to believe him - possibly because I think he is bias due to being in a relationship with me. However, when my colleagues said the same, I appreciated the comment from them more than from the person who loves me.

So, it made me think: why do we value the opinions of strangers more than the people who love us?

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/08/some-lovely-printable-art.html

Why I am proud to have failed

When I was seventeen, I had an interview for a university at which I had applied to study medicine. I don't recall much about the interview or many of the things I spoke about with the interviewer but I will always remember one question she asked me: have you ever failed?