Why Bragging About Your Good Deeds Is Annoying

Before, no one was bragging their good deeds publicly, so by saying nothing, perception about me was a toss up.  Now insert a bragging person into the conversation and I'm in a playing field where someone is describing each of their good deeds. 

It makes the people who choose to remain quiet look like they are doing no good deeds, or at the very least, no related good deeds or else they would have spoken up.  Suddenly, I went from feeling as if no one was making any assumptions about me either way, to feeling as if I might be perceived as doing little to no good deeds.  I now feel as if I have to defend myself, or in other words, compete in the bragging arena. 

This feeling, illogical or not, makes me want to correct perception away from negative to at least neutral.  I don't want to be perceived negatively, regardless of what reality is.  In a case where at least one person is bragging (and each additional person intensifies the pressure for you to compete or lose by default), neutral may seem impossible.  The subconscious effort then aims to go directly to positive, perhaps even overcompensating for the previously perceived negative perception. 

This is how I understand bragging competition and why it annoys me, even when someone is talking about their good deeds.

Here is why you should keep your good deeds to yourself:  If you brag, you won't know if you did a good deed to get praised or out of compassion.  If you don't tell anyone, you can't get praised, and you will know for sure that you did it out of pure compassion.