Talking about your accomplishments or possessions in a way that shows excessive pride or boasting.
From Middle English 'braggen,' possibly from Old French 'braguer.' The origin is uncertain, but it appeared in English around the 1500s with the meaning 'to boast loudly.'
Studies show that people who brag frequently are actually less liked and trusted, even when their achievements are real—humble confidence is far more attractive to others.
Historically coded as masculine assertion; women performing identical self-promotion often labeled 'bossy' or 'arrogant' (different term). Reveals gendered double standard in speech evaluation.
Apply same label regardless of speaker gender. If criticizing overstatement, name the behavior, not the speaker's character; acknowledge that confidence presentation is evaluated differently across genders.
["self-promotion","overstatement","exaggeration"]
Women leaders and professionals face penalty for confidence displays men receive praise for—recognize this pattern and evaluate claims on merit, not tone.
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