You're irreplaceable

Flattered by the headline? You should be.

Well, at least if you believe this list of five compliments every woman loves to hear.

In relationships, an occasional compliment should be a welcome ego stroke, gentle reassurance that yes, you're still the one.

Unfortunately, things aren't always that easy.

Even the happiest relationships can be marred by an extreme reluctance to accept, or dish out, a compliment.

Here are my least favorite compliment-inspired behaviors:

The insecure dater. This guy needs a gold star, not a girlfriend. At first his lack of confidence is endearing, but the constant need for reaffirmation gets annoying quickly. Give him the boot if he can't tell a story without asking if you're proud of him.

The generic dater. Nothing screams "you can do better" better than the guy who dishes compliments straight out of a generic phrasebook. His go-to lines? "You have beautiful eyes" and "You look great." Try a little creativity, dude, or at least steal something from "The Notebook."

The selfish dater. Possibly the worst compliment offender: the guy who can't indulge in flattery without a disclaimer. He loved your e-mail, but there were a couple grammatical errors. You look really nice, but you probably should have worn something less formal.

Sigh. Maybe one day we'll thrive in a dating universe where compliments are genuine, flattery is welcome and everybody's happy.

Until then, trust me: You're irreplaceable.