Affirmations are statements intended to build and maintain healthy self-esteem and to help foster a positive outlook on life.
Do Affirmations Work?
Studies using magnetic resonance imaging have shown that during self-affirmation tasks, regions of the brain involved in emotional processing, decision-making, self-perception, and social cognition become more active. Other research has found that people prompted to write about the values most personally important to them later performed better on stress -inducing problem-solving tasks than others. And other studies show that affirmations can help people enhance self-control , improve academic achievement, adopt healthier habits, and reduce prejudice .
While a good deal of research supports the practice of self-affirmation for many, some studies find that affirmations may backfire, primarily because people with especially low self-esteem may find it too challenging to believe that the affirmations they state are true. For example, someone experiencing poor body image who is asked to repeat “I love my body,” despite not believing it, may end up feeling even worse.
Affirmations have helped many, but for individuals with clinically diagnosable mental-health conditions, including some with major depressive disorder, trying affirmations and not achieving positive progress can lead them to feel even worse, as they may feel that their condition is “ all in their head ” and so, if positive statements could not address it, that represents a personal failing.
Not exactly. Mantras and affirmations have different goals . A mantra is a phrase or statement meant to help someone block out external thoughts and distractions so they can relax or concentrate as part of a mindfulness or meditation practice.
Explore More About Affirmations
For a comprehensive understanding of affirmations, read our complete guide: