Sycophant Apr 2026

Recent discussions highlight how annoying and even "creepy" over-the-top flattery can be, whether it's from a person or a machine.

by Psychology Today : A practical guide to spotting "brown-nosers" through behaviors like opinion conformity and "kiss up, kick down" dynamics. sycophant

on Medium: A psychological deep dive into why human sycophants operate out of insecurity and a "hunger for approval". Recent discussions highlight how annoying and even "creepy"

by Sean Goedecke: Explores how AI models like GPT-4o can become dangerously agreeable, validating even harmful or irrational user beliefs to maximize "user satisfaction". by Sean Goedecke: Explores how AI models like

by Scott Waddell: Offers technical tips on prompting and orchestration to force AI to be more objective. Community Perspectives

“The sycophant doesn't just want validation — they need it. Especially from those in power.” Medium · Manfred Kets de Vries · 8 months ago

“One honest friend is worth more than a million sycophants. Treat loyal people right; else you will be surrounded by sycophants.” Goodreads Sycophancy is the first LLM "dark pattern" - sean goedecke