system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are we so pleased with flattery even when we know it's being done to get us to do something? How does the brain understand that it's not true and yet still get so pleased?

When someone is clearly buttering you up to to get you to ease up on them for something, especially in situations where you're both strangers to one another, how come you can know that that's what they're doing, and yet still get ridiculously happy about it and many times give in and give them what they want? Shouldn't the knowledge that they're not sincere affect how you feel about their compliments?
gpt
Just because it is prompted by an alterior motive doesn't mean the observation itself is invalid. As someone approaches you to decide how to break the ice they are still looking for some feature they can believably comment. If you have messed up shoes they aren't going to say nice shoes because it will come off as sarcastic.

And confirmation bias makes us believe them.

And there are lots of ways they could approach. Many people would rather reward someone who asks for a favo with flattery that one who asks with condescension, guilting, or anger.