I generally find compliments hard to take and its not that I don’t like to be complimented (within reason) it’s just that I find it hard to react to them without feeling embarrassed. My reaction to compliments tends to one of the following:
(a) I deny or dispute the compliment completely
(b) I ignore the compliment
(c) After receiving a compliment I tell a story that doesn’t have much relevance to the situation thus making me seem odder than usual
(d) I say thank you and try to change the subject quickly
I think option (d) is probably the best way to go but I normally only respond like that on a very good day. It doesn’t seem to really matter who is playing the compliment. On occasion I even get slightly embarrassed when my parents pay me a compliment. I wonder is it just an Irish thing because I know other Irish people that also seem less than adept at taking a compliment while other nationalities seem to have no problem with them.