Definition: The act of mentally cataloging and obsessively cherishing any shred of positive feedback received, typically observed in individuals (often men) who exist in environments where genuine praise is rarer than a functional printer on a Monday morning. This phenomenon transforms fleeting niceties into emotional breadcrumbs, hoarded like a dragon guards gold, because societal norms often deny them regular verbal sunshine. The hoarder meticulously files away comments about their haircut, shirt, or even their ability to parallel park, replaying them during moments of self-doubt or existential dread. This isn’t just remembering a compliment; it’s building a compliment vault reinforced with emotional steel, where a single “Nice shoes!” from 2017 holds the same weight as a Nobel Prize nomination. The scarcity of affirmation turns minor acknowledgments into life rafts, creating a paradoxical state where the recipient might seem overly attached to a specific item of clothing (the “lucky jacket”) or awkwardly deflect new praise because they lack the emotional vocabulary to process it. It’s a survival mechanism born from a compliment-starved existence, leaving the hoarder both profoundly grateful for the crumbs and tragically unaware of the banquet of affirmation others experience regularly.