To affirm or to not to affirm

How do I lead a positive life? I am asked this often.

How I look at the positive in every life experience and manifest hopefulness and acceptance.

As a young woman in my 20s, I lacked the confidence and self-belief to pursue my dreams. I felt down with every setback in life. Small setbacks included a bad table at a restaurant, a friend not showing interest in meeting, and a manager’s negative feedback.

I took a 3-month sabbatical from work, traveling through various silent retreats in South Asia. People were so friendly and eager to invite me into their lives. People from various walks of life were very interested in me; nobody was judgmental, just genuinely pleasant. It really was a wonderful journey and life experience. This helped me get out of my mind, take a step back, and look at life.

I changed my life and achieved what once seemed impossible by choosing to believe in myself and speaking affirmations aloud. I intentionally reflected on positive aspects of my life, academic and work achievements, and relationship successes.

I made affirmations a daily habit, and that's when my life truly changed. It opened new doors and gave me a new perspective.

It was my beginning point to restart/rewind my life.

Now I smile and laugh more. I compliment others, feel gratitude, and feel blessed.

For me, it has come down to 2 things.

1.    Self-Belief/love

2.    Self-affirmation

- Rekha, 25-year-old marketing professional    

5 Science-backed pieces of Knowledge that Self-Affirmations do work

Years of multidisciplinary research suggest that self-affirmation can be a promising intervention. Studies have shown that self-affirmation can enhance various aspects of a person's life.

·           Affirmations and the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology was employed to assess two regions of the brain associated with (1) self-related processing and (2) reward responses subsequent to self-affirmation activities. The study observed a notable increase in neural activity in both regions, suggesting that self-affirmations influence brain activity.

·       Self-control and self-efficacy: Research has demonstrated that self-affirmations assist participants in attaining self-control by reflecting on core values that guide their lives. Further investigations indicate that self-affirmation promotes modifications in health-related behaviors. An experimental design was implemented to evaluate whether self-affirmation could enhance health-promoting behaviors, specifically increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. The self-affirmation condition showed greater brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during exposure to health messages and subsequently increased their objectivity. Affirmation of core values allows at-risk individuals to be open to health messages and behavior change.

·       Prosocial behaviors and prejudice reduction: Research indicates that self-affirmation can influence the malleability of prejudice during intergroup conflicts. It boosts positive social feelings. For example, writing essays about personally important values enhances feelings of love more than writing about unimportant values.

·       Improving academic achievement, reducing smartphone usage: a series of brief, structured writing assignments focusing on self-affirmation, group interactions, and enhancing self-affirmations are a few ways that were found to help students be less likely to have their daily feelings of academic fit and motivation undermined by identity threat.

·       Happiness and meaning in life. Experiments with two different cultures: (a) psychology students in South Korea and (b) in a public U.S. university, of which the majority were Asian American (66 percent). Participants were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or a control condition. Results suggest that affirming important values bolsters one's happiness and meaning in life.

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There is a growing body of evidence showing that self-affirmation is a valuable tool for health and well-being.

Self-Affirmation Theory and the Science of Well-Being 

Self-Affirmation Theory posits that individuals possess an inherent motivation to uphold a perception of themselves as competent, virtuous, and adaptively sufficient. When this sense of "self-integrity" is compromised, such as in instances of failure or upon receiving unfavorable feedback, individuals often adopt defensive postures. By reflecting on unrelated fundamental values, people can restore their self-esteem and mitigate defensive behaviors.

How It Works: The Self-System

Introduced by psychologist Claude Steele in the 1980s, the theory centers on the way the ego-protective "self-system" preserves an overarching image of integrity.

• The trigger: When a specific threat or stressor arises (e.g., a substandard job review, a health diagnosis), it jeopardizes an individual'ssense of adequacy.

• The Defense: Rather than confronting the threat directly, individuals frequently resort to denial, avoidance, or rationalization.

• The Affirmation: By contemplating alternative sources of self-worth, such as relationships, creativity, or community, individuals broaden their self-resources.

By reflecting on alternative sources of self-worth (e.g., relationships, creativity, or community), individuals expand their self-resources. This buffers the ego, making the provoking threat seem less damaging to personal integrity