Want to insult a woman? Then offer her a compliment.

　　Only half of women actually enjoy being praised and many others misinterpret well-meant words as offensive, according to new research.

　　And "you look well" is one of the worst things a man can say to a woman - because she just thinks it means she looks fat.

　　Other compliments likely to backfire include telling a woman that you like her make-up, or that her dress is figure hugging.

　　Calling a woman "curvy" or saying she looks like her mother or father are also absolute no-nos, according to a survey that will ring true to husbands who decided long ago that paying their wives compliments is more trouble than it's worth.

　　The social minefield was revealed in a new survey by a health-care company that interviewed more than 2,000 men and women.

　　It found that many women view compliments as "back handed" and are likely to throw them back in your face.

　　The best way to compliment a woman is to mention her weight loss, saying that she looks thinner than normal.

　　Around 43 percent of those surveyed said this was the best compliment.

　　A further four in 10 are happiest when someone comments on their gorgeous smile.

　　Focusing on the way a woman smells, how nice her hair is, or what beautiful eyes she has are also unlikely to be misinterpreted.

　　But men should avoid talking about how well a woman looks as she will think he is saying she is fat.

　　Other backhanded compliments include "you're not as stupid as you look" and "you don't look as bad as I thought you would".

　　Women also hate anyone to make reference to their "large features" and are particularly unimpressed if someone says they are strong or broad.

　　More than one in 10 misunderstood praise about their make-up, assuming they were wearing too much.

　　想侮辱一個女人嗎？那就讚美她吧。

　　新研究發現，只有半數女性受到讚美會感到高興，其他許多女性會將好意的讚美誤解成冒犯。

　　“你看起來不錯”是男人能對女人説的最糟的話之一，因為女人會認為這句話的意思是她看起來很胖。

　　其他會弄巧成拙的讚美還包括告訴一個女人你喜歡她化的粧，或者她的裙子很緊身。

　　調查還顯示，説一個女人“有曲線”或者説她長得像她母親或父親也是絕對的禁忌，這一點會得到丈夫們的響應，他們在很久以前就決定讚美老婆是件不值得做的麻煩事。

　　一家保健公司開展的新調查揭示了這一社交雷區，該調查訪問了2000多名男性和女性。

　　調查發現，許多女性將讚美視為“含沙射影的譏諷”，而且很可能會以牙還牙。

　　讚美一個女人最好的方法是誇她成功瘦身，説她看起來比往常瘦了。

　　約43%的被調查者説這是最好的讚美。

　　還有十分之四的女性在別人誇她們笑靨如花時最開心。

　　稱讚一個女人身上散發的香氣好聞、誇她的頭髮美麗，或者誇她的眼睛漂亮也不容易被誤解。

　　但是男人應避免談論一個女人看起來氣色如何，因為女人會以為他指的是她很胖。

　　其他表面恭維實則挖苦的話還有“你不像你看起來那麼愚蠢”，或者“你看起來不像我預料的那麼糟”。

　　女人還討厭任何人説她們的五官大，特別反感別人説她們強壯或魁梧。