Praise and criticism have long been reported as central feedback designs in academic writing, yet their relative influences on students' reception have not been fully investigated. This study employed six feedback statements (2 valences * 3 writing areas) and collected students' (N = 56) ratings of each statement's perceived comprehension and usefulness. The results showed that while both feedback valences were well understood, praise was rated significantly higher than criticism in usefulness, especially for the abstract dimension of reasoning. The students also claimed that praise not only boosted motivation but also facilitated efforts to internalise and transfer the feedback knowledge. Suggestions were formulated to harness such emotional and cognitive advantages of praise in feedback design and academic writing pedagogy.