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Is it normal to pretend to be sincere to someone when you compliment them, then smile to yourself about their gullibility when they believe you?
No, I don't waste my energy trying to be a phony, which is literally something I have zero interest in ever being. I personally think we should all strive to earnest, and authentic!
Why act sincere when you can be sincere?
There is no reason to be a fake.
There is every reason to find something that you can complement a person on - even if everything else is a mess.
Learn to find the things people did right... and complement that. It produces far more change than criticism, and a magnitude more change than fake comments.
I guess but making a big deal out of it and thinking about how gullible that person is for believeing you sounds kind of sociopathy, ngl.
what a great idea
thats the kinda thing that could only be thought up by a wonderfully good lookin genius like yourself
Insincere compliments are a last resort in my 'teacher's toolbox'. We put those kids through a lot.
Some people are unaware of themselves to the point that it endangers them sometimes, and protects them at other times. It's okay to notice it.
You shouldn't let yourself smile straight afterwards, though - even to yourself. Suppress the thought. Close your eyes and blink long so that they can't read it. That micro-expression of smugness is called 'duping delight', and it's easy to spot. Whatever you'd hoped to achieve by complimenting them will get ruined, if they see the slightest trace of it in you.
For some people it works every time. The same applies to suppressed negative emotions. But it's unhealthy and a waste of time. No one should want such a thing.