Complimentary thoughts

Think about the last compliment you received. Think about whether or not you believed it. If you did believe it, it is likely that you had already praised yourself. The compliment was reinforcing what you already thought. If you didn't believe it, you were likely unsure or critical toward what you had done. Because of that, the compliment probably seemed flimsy (e.g. you thought the person was just "being nice"). It seems to me, other people's praise is only believable when we already believe it ourselves. Is this the case?