Do affirmations work? Values, self-love and what skeptics say
Amy Cuddy says to affirm your values and not your greatness, neuroscientist Emily McDonald explains what affirmations do in the brain, Rana el Kaliouby credits journaling and affirmations with getting her past self-doubt, Mel Robbins scripts sentences for bedtime and morning, and Bruce Lipton argues that positive thinking alone fails against subconscious programs. Set together they show which kinds of self-statement have support and why repeating flattering lines often changes nothing.
Do affirmations work? Show answer
Under some conditions. Statements you can believe, repeated often and backed by action, have the best support. Lines you do not believe can backfire.
Why does Amy Cuddy warn against telling yourself you are great? Show answer
If you doubt it, you know you are lying to yourself, and then you trust yourself even less.
What is the self-affirmation exercise Cuddy describes? Show answer
List the three things you care about most, rank them, then write why the top one matters and about a time you expressed it.
What results does Cuddy cite for values affirmation? Show answer
People are less anxious in stressful situations and perform better. College students did better on midterm exams.
Why does affirming values help before a test? Show answer
It shores you up. Whatever happens, you will still be you afterward, so the result is not a verdict on your worth.
How does Emily McDonald say affirmations work? Show answer
Through repetition. A repeated thought strengthens its pathway and becomes a more dominant way of thinking.
When do affirmations backfire, according to McDonald? Show answer
When each line triggers an inner voice saying it is not true. She suggests saying them while moving or making them playful.
What distinction does Alia Crum's research draw? Show answer
Believing you will simply be fine can be denial. Believing the situation is manageable works better, alongside the best medical treatment.
How do Mel Robbins's bedtime sentences begin? Show answer
With an admission, such as that it is okay to feel overwhelmed given everything going on, before a line like I can manage this.
Why does Bruce Lipton say positive thinking fails? Show answer
The subconscious keeps running old habits while you think. He recommends present-tense statements repeated until they become habit.
Where do Cuddy and Lipton disagree? Show answer
Cuddy says affirm values already true of you. Lipton says state the desired condition as a present fact.
What must go along with any affirmation? Show answer
Action. McDonald says the brain stops trusting your words if you break promises to yourself.