Many people ask if self-affirmations work. What is the truth behind affirmations? Is there a type of self-affirmation that can work?
One of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits involves Al Franken, whose character Stewart Smalley constantly reassures himself. His amusing mantra is “I am good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it, people like me”. Can telling yourself you’re good as you gaze in front of a mirror be beneficial? Not always. Studies do not support the plethora of self-help books which push positive self-talk. Research illustrates that Stewart Smalley type of self-affirmations have mixed results (Wood et al.,2009) regarding their benefit. For example, people with low self-esteem receive no benefit and may actually experience negative effects when telling themselves via self-affirmations that they are “lovable.” This may occur because they view the positive self-affirmation as lacking credibility. Their inner dialogue may be I am trying to tell myself I am lovable, but the truth is I am not. Each time they try to positively self-affirm they may actually reinforce the opposite.
The Truth About Self-Affirmations: Do Some Kinds Work?
Although the Stewart Smalley self-affirmation technique may not work to bolster self-esteem (eg. I am terrific, lovable etc.) there is a form of self-affirmation that does appear to be effective. The truth about affirmation is that research illustrates that self-affirming by reflecting on personal values and roles can lead to positive outcomes. People who self-affirm by writing about what they value and why, (eg. relationships, family, friends or hobbies), seem more capable of managing stressors. Studies indicate self-affirmation of values can lead to improved performance, (eg. higher grade point averages) improved distress tolerance and an increased receptivity to criticism. In one study, when participants reflected on personal values before giving a speech to a judgmental audience, they experienced no increase in cortisol levels/stress hormone (Creswell, et al., 2005). These individuals wrote about values such as relationships and family. In another study, female college students randomly assigned to a values affirmation writing exercise before a physics exam, performed better on the test than women in the non-affirmation group.
Why Do Some Self-Affirmations Work?
Why do some self-affirmations work? When experiencing threatening stimuli, such as a test, personal rejection, or feedback, affirmed values help people look at the bigger picture. There is an increased capacity to focus on what’s really important such as family, friends, or meaningful roles. One’s sense of self is less threatened by negative experiences, which do not speak to the person’s core values or sense of self-integrity. Consequently, when feeling more secure due to self-affirmation of values, individuals are also more open to feedback and can learn from mistakes. Additionally, when self-affirmed regarding values, less resources are needed to manage negative experiences thus leaving an increased capacity to solve problems.
How to Effectively Use Self-Affirmations That Work
- Select self-affirmations and values carefully: Select and reflect on values that are important to you. These values can be family, relationships, creativity, humor, music, religion, being a parent, teacher, a spouse etc.
- Write the self-affirmations/value down: Write about the two values for 5-10 minutes and include why they are important to you, what you obtain from them, how you feel about having these values and the positive consequences. Do the exercise 2-3 times a week for the first week and then re-read them weekly or before a stressful event. Timing matters, so doing the self-affirmation before a potentially threatening event or soon after may have the most impact.
- Pick self-affirmations/values that are not threatened: Refrain from doing a self-affirmation of value directly related to the threat. If you receive negative health information, reflection on health as a value that is important to you will not be optimal.
- Act on affirmations: Activities such as volunteering, writing, or wearing clothing that you feel defines your role can also indirectly affirm values.
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References
Creswell, JD., Welch W., Taylor, SE., Sherman, D., Gruenewald, T., Mann, T (2005). Affirmation of personal values buffers neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses. Psychological. Science. 16: 846–51.
Miyake, A., Kost-Smith LE, Finkelstein, ND., Pollock SJ., Cohen GL, Ito TA. (2010). Reducing the gender achievement gap in college science: a classroom study of values affirmation. Science 330:1234–37
Thomaes, S., Bushman, BJ., de Castro, BO., Cohen GL, Denissen JJ (2009). Reducing narcissistic aggression by buttressing self-esteem: an experimental field study. Psychological. Science 20:1536–42
Wood, JV., Perunovic WQ., Lee, JW. (2009). Positive self-statements: power to some, peril for others. Psychological. Science. 20:860–66
I really like your guidelines here. Writing values first is a much more realistic and therefore healthier way for people to affirm or write affirmations. I can understand how one person trying to use someone else’s affirmation may be unsuitable at times and actually provoke the reverse response, or cause the individual to feel deflated…. more so than before. We are all unique and need our own angle to operate from when it comes to this kind of self-talk. Where it has worked for many people, perhaps then it is because they shared the same values and beliefs as the writer… to begin with.